Spooktober 2019
by KeiChanz
Summary: A drabble collection inspired from Halloween prompts that center around Inuyasha, Kagome, and their two children. [Rated for some NSFW content.]
1. Trick

I wanted to do something for Halloween this year since it's my favorite (un)official holiday, so I'll be writing a Halloween inspired drabble(ish, you all know my drabbles oftentimes turn into oneshots lol) for each day of the month of October! ^_^ I found some Halloween prompts on tumblr so I'll be basing these drabbles off of those.

These drabbles take place in an AU where Inuyasha and Kagome are married and have two children: Izayoi, age eleven, and Tai, age five.

 **Spooktober prompts day 1**

 **Trick**

"Trick or treat, Inuyasha…"

The words were purred into his ear as familiar arms draped over his shoulders from behind and wrapped around his neck in a warm embrace. Soft lips grazed his cheek and a grin tugged at the corners of his lips.

Settled comfortably on the couch with his computer in his lap, his feet kicked up on the coffee table and paperwork littering said table, Inuyasha was attempting to get those last few reports for work finished up so he wouldn't have to worry about them tomorrow. Beside him on the couch sat the last two highly coveted cider donuts that he'd bought from Dunkin' Donuts that morning for breakfast and with the kids in bed, the peace and quiet made for optimal work time.

His wife, apparently, thought differently. "Trick or treat, huh," he mumbled and abandoned his laptop to reach behind him and twine his fingers in her dark hair, tipping his head back. Kagome hummed and kissed his nose. "Gimme a treat," he rumbled and she obliged, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"Hmmm," Kagome said and licked her lips. "Tastes like cider. You thief." Behind her back she waved her hand and two small figures sneakily crawled into the living room, withholding giggles.

Unrepentant, Inuyasha tugged her back down for another kiss and murmured against her mouth, "I bought 'em. Can't steal something that's rightfully mine."

"You know they'll be upset when they find them gone in the morning."

"They'll survive." He nipped her lip and tried to tug her around so he can pull her onto the couch with him.

Kagome bit her lip and her eyes danced. "Don't you have work to do?" She kept her eyes on his and tried very hard not to look at the small hands stealthily creeping up the couch toward the two donuts by her husband.

"Keh," he mumbled. "It ain't important, no harm in—" Movement out of his peripheral gave him pause and Inuyasha flicked a glance beside him—and his mouth dropped in astonishment. "Hey—!"

Squealing, the sneaky little devils he called his children snatched the coveted cider donuts and made a run for it as their father shot up in surprise.

Laughing, Kagome withdrew and yelled, "Run, kids!" before promptly skittering off after them, her mischievous snickers echoing back to him.

"Kagome! You little—" Unable to hold back the grin, Inuyasha threw his laptop aside and shot off the couch, leaping over the back of it and taking off after his conniving wife and his sly offspring. "Now who's the thief?! You brats, get back here! Dammit, Kagome—!"

Childish laughter drifted back to him as his cheeky wife called out, " _Trick_ or treat, Inuyasha!"


	2. Fog

**Spooktober prompts day 2**

 **Fog**

"I feel like I'm in an episode of The Walking Dead."

Standing on the front porch, Kagome frowned at the heavy fog that shrouded the area, dense enough that she could barely make out anything beyond twenty feet in any direction. It was just past 7 am and cool out, a little damp, but it was the kind of weather that was typical of October, and usually Kagome reveled in it as she admired the fall colors and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee.

But because of all this stupid fog she wasn't able to enjoy her peaceful, cool mornings.

"I was thinking more like The Mist," Inuyasha commented idly beside her, arms crossed and studying the fog that hung low to the ground.

Kagome wrinkled her nose and shuddered. "Ugh. I think I prefer zombies over…well, _anything_ from that movie."

"You didn't even watch it. Refused to when the kids wanted to rent it for movie night that one time."

"You know I hate those kinds of movies, Inuyasha."

"Iz likes them."

"That's because she's a daddy girl and likes everything _you_ do. My daughter loves her father more than me."

Inuyasha grinned unapologetically and shrugged.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome sighed and huddled deeper in her oversized sweater. "Zombie weather."

"You won't watch horror movies, but you watch shows about fucking _zombies_."

"Zombies are ten times more believable and far less scary than your lobster monsters."

Inuyasha gave a choked laugh. " _Lobster monsters?_ "

"Well, what else would you call those things?"

"They're called Arachni-Lobsters, Kagome."

"…Spider lobsters? They seriously couldn't come up with anything better than _spider lobsters?_ "

"Because people who come back from the dead and hunger for living flesh aren't original."

"Tell me one thing that's more terrifying than a rotted human torso pulling itself along the ground toward you with the intent to take a bite out of your leg."

Before her husband could answer, however, his ears twitched and he turned his attention forward, peering gout into the thick fog that prevented them from seeing much beyond their front yard. He narrowed his eyes as a dark shape started coming toward them, coming more humanoid in nature the closer it approached, and then suddenly Inuyasha and Kagome were gazing at the half-demon's best friend Miroku, donned in nothing but a tight black speedo complete with handcuffs shackled around his wrists.

The man's expression was deadpan as deep violet connected with shocked amber and brown. "Sango locked me out of the house again," he said by way of greeting and he had the good graces to flush as he cleared his throat. "Ah, are the wire cutters still—"

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha sighed and waved him toward the garage.

Miroku nodded mutely and veered toward their two car garage, disappearing inside without a backwards glance.

Inuyasha and Kagome stood there on the porch, staring silently out into the fog and wondering if they were, in fact, dreaming.

A minute later Inuyasha cleared his throat as Kagome closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, her posture resigned. "Kagome." The corners of his lips twitched and it sounded like he was trying not to laugh.

"Not a word, Inuyasha."

"…But—"

"Not. A. Word."


	3. Zombies

**Spooktober prompts day 3**

 **Zombies**

Inuyasha was busy bugging the crap out of his wife while she prepared breakfast when a pair of zombies dragged themselves into the kitchen, complete with bedhead, sleepy eyes, gaunt faces, and various groaning noises. Izayoi looked dead on her feet as she plopped heavily into a chair before promptly letting her head fall forward onto the table while her brother appeared about ready to fall asleep where he stood just inside the door way, blinking and looking very confused as to how he got there.

Amused despite himself, Inuyasha's eyebrows rose up into his bangs while Kagome tried to stifle her giggles as she turned to flip the bacon. "Kagome," he started and his wife looked over her shoulder. "Remember when you said you felt like you were in an episode of The Walking Dead?"

Kagome snorted a laugh that time and silently nodded, unable to suppress her laughter that time as she forked a few strips of bacon onto two plates.

"I think you might be right," Inuyasha said dryly before having a sigh and walking over to his son who was seconds away from collapsing onto the tiled floor. "I told you two it was a bad idea to watch that movie before bed," he chastised as he scooped him up into his arms and wasn't surprised when he immediately cuddled into his shoulder with a sleepy grumble.

Izayoi didn't bother to lift her head as she mumbled something into the wood of the table. "Don't blame your brother," Kagome said as she set her children's breakfast down on the table. "You _both_ wanted to watch it so you're both responsible for your exhaustion."

Another grumble, this one from Tai and Inuyasha shook his head as he deposited him into a chair beside Izayoi. "No, you can't stay home today. I warned you, you didn't listen, and now you have to suffer the consequences. Eat up, we leave in twenty." Ruffling Tai's hair and bending down to kiss his daughter's head, Inuyasha retreated to go change into is work clothes.

Sinking down at the table with a cup of coffee, Kagome propped her chin in her hand with a small smile and watched with unveiled amusement as her children forced themselves to sit upright so they didn't choke on their food. "So," the mother of two said as Izayoi stabbed repeatedly at the pile of scrambled eggs and missed every time. Tai grunted and sipped his OJ through a straw.

Her smile widened. "…Sleep good?"

She received twin glares of annoyance for her troubles and Kagome snickered behind her coffee mug. "Well that's funny," she said through her laughter. "I slept _great_."

Izayoi groaned as Tai gave up and face planted into his breakfast.

Half an hour later as Inuyasha was strapping his son into the SUV, a lump of yellow in his hair caught his attention and he frowned as he pierced it with a claw and held it up for inspection. He blinked.

"Tai, why the hell do you have scrambled egg in your hair?"


	4. Disappearance

**Spooktober Day 4**

 **Disappearance**

When the moon disappeared from the sky once a month, so too did the demon blood that ran through Inuyasha and Izayoi's veins.

It was on these nights that Inuyasha felt the closest to his daughter, and though he loved both of his children equally, it was only she he shared his human night with. Tai's human night occurred during the half moon, which Kagome had explained one time made a lot of sense; half the moon, half the blood that dominated his veins. Or something to that effect. Kagome explained it a lot better than he did, anyhow.

He was in the middle of making two cups of hot cocoa when the change overtook him, feeling that familiar pulse before his demon attributes disappeared and were replaced by human ones. His hair turned black, his eyes went dark, ears became rounded fleshy appendages on the side of his head while claws and fangs shrank to complete the transformation. So used to it was he by now he barely even paused in his task and by the time his little girl shuffled into the kitchen, the hot beverages were ready.

No matter how many times he'd seen Izayoi like this, it always struck him how much she looked like her mother on her human nights. Like a miniature version of Kagome, Izayoi's eyes were a rich chocolate brown and her hair was an ebony waterfall that flowed down her back in gentle waves.

Donned in one of her favorite princess nightgowns, Izayoi yawned and blinked sleepily at him and as always his heart clenched in his chest, not for the fist time wondering how he'd gotten so damn lucky to be blessed with a beautiful wife and two amazing and equally beautiful children.

With soft eyes he Inuyasha gave a wordless nod and Izayoi smiled at him before turning and retreating back to the living room to wait for him. It wasn't long before he joined her, carrying two hot mugs of cocoa and after setting them on the coffee table, he sank down on the couch and immediately she crawled between his legs and made herself comfortable against her favorite pillow.

Inuyasha dropped a kiss to her head and in a matter of minutes had her favorite Halloween movie up on the television, Hocus Pocus and he dragged a blanket off the back of the couch to cover them, more for comfort than actual warmth. Both his wife and kids had told him numerous times that he was a freaking walking furnace and during the winter months it was not uncommon to find a child draped over his back or stomach if he was reclining on the couch, or his wife with her hands and feet shoved under his shirt with a mischievous grin.

And right now, his little girl cuddled against him with a happy little sigh, hands wrapped around her mug as she quoted her favorite parts of the movie, most of them from that red haired witch – some of them he said with her, like the "What a glorious morning...makes me sick!" line – and sometimes giving a little giggle.

About half way through Kagome popped in with a dozing Tai in her arms, just long enough to see how they were doing, give them each a kiss and let Inuyasha kiss his son goodnight before retreating to tuck him into bed. Izayoi was already starting to nod off as well, her yawns becoming more frequent and Inuyasha could tell she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

He wasn't surprised about twenty minutes later, when Billy the zombie was chasing the kids through the cemetery that his babygirl silently fell asleep, her breaths slow and even, her tiny form curled up comfortably against his chest with her head over his heart and a small, content smile curling her lips.

Inuyasha's heart swelled and he bent his head to brush a kiss across his daughter's brow, his throat feeling tight and his heart swelling with love. Even though this was a monthly ritual for them now, it never failed to choke him up, the emotion so intense sometimes his eyes would grow hot and he had to fight back tears.

He could remember a time when he'd hated the new moon, hated the disappearance of his demonic blood because it made him weak, vulnerable, and emotional. Before he'd met Kagome and created a family with her, not once had he ever anticipated these nights, always dreading the inevitable change, and sometimes, though he'd hated to admit it, even fearing it. Because the disappearance of his demonic powers meant danger; it meant fighting to keep his most vulnerable night a secret, and oftentimes it even meant fighting to stay alive.

Now, though...god, he couldn't believe how different things were now, but at the same time, some things remained the same. While it was still a secret that he heavily guarded, doubly now that his precious little girl shared her human night with him, Inuyasha actually looked _forward_ to them now, anticipating spending time with his babygirl, creating new, happy memories to wash away all of the previous negative ones he'd acquired during his lifetime.

Now, instead of dread, apprehension and fear, the disappearing moon meant love, happiness, and warmth, and as he looked down at his sleeping daughter's face, peaceful, trusting, and beautiful, Inuyasha silently reflected that, even with the loss of his demonic blood, he still ended gaining so much more than he could have ever imagined.


	5. Apple Cider

Lol I know jack shit about how companies are ran and how they make money and the inner workings and clients and all that so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **Fun fact:** I had absolutely _no idea_ where to go with this prompt, so I just started writing and went with wherever my brain took me lol.

 **Spooktober Day 5**

 **Apple Cider**

Kagome was just finishing up cooking dinner and removing the spice bundle from her second batch of hot apple cider when the front door suddenly whipped open and then slammed closed with such force both she and the children sitting at the kitchen table gave a startled jump. Three pairs of wide eyes turned as the man of the house stomped by the kitchen, a black scowl on his face, ears pinned, and his hands fisted angrily at his sides. A few seconds later the sliding glass doors to their deck slid open and then all was quiet except for the gentle sizzle of the fry pan on the stove and Kagome's rapidly beating heart.

Blinking, Kagome exchanged baffled glances with her son and daughter, thinking perhaps they might have a clue as to why their father had just stormed through the house apparently in a mood, but they looked just as lost as she was as they stared back. Ever since Izayoi was born Inuyasha had made a valiant effort to control his temper and it wasn't often Inuyasha showed it like this so it was no doubt a shock to their children to see their father in such a black disposition.

Recovering quickly, her puzzled shock giving way to concern, Kagome lowered the flame on the oven to warm and hurriedly poured a mug of hot cider from the first batch cooling in a pitcher off to the side. She nuked it, murmured quietly to her children to stay here at their inquisitive looks, and then followed after her husband out to the deck. She suspected she knew the reason for his very loud and angry entrance and dearly hoped she was wrong.

Quietly sliding the glass door open and letting it glide back closed of its own accord, Kagome wrapped both of her hands around the pleasantly warm mug and approached her half-demon. With his hands braced on the wooden railing, the only indication he was aware of her presence was his ears flicking in her direction, but otherwise he remained glaring out into their backyard, his golden eyes glowing from the moon in the purple side. It was twilight and chilly, but she ignored it in favor of her clearly upset beloved.

Sidling up beside him, Kagome was silent, knowing he'd tell her what was wrong when he'd cooled down enough. And if that wasn't for another hour, then so be it.

Thankfully, and to her silent gratitude, it was only about another ten minutes when Inuyasha heaved a long, heavy sigh and his shoulders slumped, his features falling in a look of such defeat Kagome knew her earlier suspicions were correct without him even saying it.

She winced, because the company had really been riding on this new client to accept their generous proposition and without the added business, from what her husband has told her before, they were going to lose several other clients that had accepted them just for the sole purpose to work with this one very important client.

Wordlessly Kagome ducked under his arm so she was squeezed cozily in the space between him and the railing and she held up the freshly made cider with a small smile of apology. Inuyasha's expression softened and he accepted the beverage, grabbing it with one hand while the other slipped loosely around her waist.

He drank in silence for a moment or two and Kagome contented herself by playing idly with his tie, already loosened and simply hanging around his neck. She vaguely noted it was one she'd gotten him for his birthday last year, a red silk one that he wore often.

"OnigumCo bailed," he suddenly said and Kagome sighed, hating that she was right. "T&E offered him twice the amount we were and we couldn't afford to raise it anymore. Son of a _bitch_." He added the last part in a mutter, scowling briefly before taking another few sips. "TriFecta, Youngman's, and Boro backed out since we didn't—" He cut himself off with an annoyed growl and downed the last of his cider before putting the empty mug on the railing.

Truly feeling bad because she knew how much he'd been counting on this new client, Kagome stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up to kiss his unshaven chin. She had no idea what to say; a simple sorry just didn't sound like it would be enough, so she remained quiet. She suspected Inuyasha knew of her sympathies anyway, so no words were truly needed.

Strong arms slipped around her waist and he rested his forehead on his wife's shoulder, inhaling her addicting scent, laced with the spices and citrus she'd used to make the cider. Though still bummed, he was eternally grateful for his wonderful wife's silent support. She didn't need to say anything for him to understand her feelings, and he loved her even more for it, if that were even possible. Nearly fifteen years together and she never ceased to amaze him.

They stood like that for what seemed like a small eternity, Inuyasha simply holding his beloved as he took in her scent, Kagome tenderly rubbing his ears and whispering sweet endearments to him. A few minutes later the sliding glass doors opened and tiny feet padded out onto the wooden deck.

Inuyasha smiled and though he had half a mind to tell them to get back inside since it was cold out, he didn't and simply stooped down to include his children in his embrace. With a child in each arm, he stood back up and together the three of them, his beloved wife and precious kids, lent him their undying love and support simply by being there for him, unwavering, powerful, and never ending.

And as Inuyasha hugged his son and daughter closed and kissed his wife sweetly on her lips, he abruptly decided that it didn't even matter his company didn't land this client, because he had his family, and that would always be enough.


	6. Banshee

I apologize for falling a little behind with these prompts, but they're proving to be more difficult than I thought lol. Anyway I'm hoping to get out 7 and 8 tomorrow, so you have two to look forward to!

This one came out longer than I'd anticipated but I doubt you guys are complaining lol. Major thanks to the guys in the discord server for helping me come up with this idea! Enjoy, guys! :D

 **Spooktober Day 6**

 **Banshee**

It started innocently enough. Their neighbor's child Shippou from down the street – or, "that brat" as Inuyasha liked to call him – had suddenly decided that scaring the big bad hanyou that lived two houses down was going to be his goal for the month of October. Kagome also knew for a fact that the young kitsune had a crush on Izayoi and no doubt wanted to impress her with his scaring skills. "He who scares the Unscarable Half-Demon wins the girl" and all that.

Personally Kagome thought it was adorable whereas her husband was not as keen to the idea as she was. His daughter was his princess, so of course no boy would ever be good enough for her, especially the annoying brat down the road. Thankfully the fox demon never let the half-demon's overprotectiveness deter him, however, always showing up with gifts and asking if she'd like to come over to play. Kagome was pretty sure Izayoi considered the kit a friend, but was still unclear on how she viewed him as a potential suitor. She was still young, after all, so perhaps love wasn't the first thing on her mind whenever she was around boys.

Which, thinking on it now, was probably a very good thing when it came to one Daisuke Matsuno. A little older than Izayoi, Dai was the charming son of one of her colleagues, Kouga Matsuno, and the little rascal had been after Izayoi since he'd first seen her. Inuyasha disliked Dai more than he did Shippou because the kid was a carbon copy of his father, right down to his suave personality and winning smile. Thankfully, to Inuyasha's relief, their daughter was more or less oblivious to the wolf's advances and never reciprocated his shameless flirting.

Kagome felt a little guilty admitting it, but Shippou's rivalry with the young wolf demon was very amusing and it was the reason why she never said no whenever Kouga called and asked if she could watch Dai for a bit while he and Ayame ran some errands. Shippou never failed to show up a few minutes later, probably because he didn't want his crush's feelings to sway toward the young wolf, but whatever the reason, it was always a very lively few hours.

Unfortunately Inuyasha was less than amused whenever the "cocky wolf brat" came over and most of the time Izayoi was suddenly no where to be found – because _that_ wasn't suspicious at all – and to this day her husband refused to admit he had any part in his daughter's mysterious disappearances.

Kagome wondered if this whole plan to scare Inuyasha was some sort of payback for not letting him spend any time with his crush, but at this point, she didn't dare venture to ask.

At least Shippou was the lesser of the two evils, to quote something Inuyasha had said once.

At first the kit would hide in random places and jump out at Inuyasha as he was leaving the house, but because of his superior senses, the half-demon had always been aware of his presence before the kid could carry out his scare tactic. So when that hadn't worked, he'd kicked things up a notch by using some of his kitsune tricks and creating illusions. Inuyasha still hadn't fallen for it and saw right through them with nary a flick of an eyelash. Shippou's third attempts involved props that varied between store-bought Halloween decorations, homemade questionable concoctions, and a playlist of spooky sounds via YouTube.

Those attempts had resulted in Inuyasha loudly demanding to know what the hell that stench was and why his front lawn was riddled with "fake ass plastic shit and bed sheets."

If Shippou had any other bright ideas to spook the hanyou, he didn't get the chance to try because fed up with the brat's annoying attempts to "scare him," Inuyasha devised his own plan to scare the bejeesus out of the kitsune and unfortunately, it was rather very easy to frighten the poor child, so her husband's first attempt had been a success. Kagome didn't remember the particulars in how he did it, but something about duct tape and one of those fake wound tattoos you can buy on Amazon.

And thus started The Great Scaring War and needless to say, Kagome was getting very _tired_ of it.

Rubbing her temples while sitting at the kitchen counter, Kagome groaned and tried very hard to ignore the ruckus that was going on upstairs, heavy thuds and banging sounds echoing throughout the house, accompanied by her husband's laughter and Shippou's screeching, that was giving her a goddamned headache. A solid week this has been going on and this point she was ready to do anything just to get them to stop.

"Are they _still_ going at it?" Izayoi complained as she came into the kitchen, her little brother in tow. "Hasn't it been, like, a week?" With a sigh she sank down into a chair while Tai opted to climb into his mother's lap.

Releasing a sigh of her own, Kagome ran her fingers distractedly through her son's hair and kissed his head. "Just about, yes," she replied, frowning as she rubbed one of Tai's ears. The tiny half-demon sighed and snuggled into her chest. "I've been toying with the idea of scaring _both_ of them to get them to stop, but I have _no_ idea how to go about doing it. Shippou wouldn't be hard, but your father is the most difficult person to scare that I've ever met." Kagome shook her head and stared helplessly down at her dozing five year old. Dammit, but if only she could think of _something_...

Izayoi was silent as she pondered her mother's words and Kagome missed the strangely contemplative look on her face before her daughter spoke, her innocent tone instantly catching her attention.

"I think...I might have an idea, Mama..."

 **-X-**

Strutting downstairs with a rather arrogant smirk on his face, Inuyasha was feeling mighty proud of himself as he strolled into the kitchen with a deflated Shippou behind him, looking decidedly less proud and more dejected than anything. Seeing Izayoi sitting at the table, however, perked him right up and he smiled, his gloomy disposition completely vanishing.

"What's up, babygirl?" Inuyasha said cheerily as he retrieved a soda from the fridge and popped it open. He eyed the kit as he slyly slid into the hair beside his daughter, narrowing his gaze in warning. Shippou pretended to ignore him and beamed at the younger half-demon.

With a dreamy look on her face, chin propped in her hands and golden eyes holding a far-away look in them, Izayoi sighed and her lips curled up into a wondering smile. "I found him, Daddy," she said in a distracted manner and both males sent her a puzzled look.

"Him who, Iz?" Lifting the can to his lips, Inuyasha leaned back against the counter and crossed his ankles, gazing curiously at his precious babygirl.

Izayoi suddenly giggled, a high-pitched, entirely girly sound and for some reason it put Shippou on edge. "The guy I'm gonna marry, Daddy!" she said brightly and Inuyasha froze.

He blinked and slowly lowered the cold soda, his brows dipping into an apprehensive frown. "Marry...?" he echoed, his stomach clenching at the thought of his little girl running off with some boy. Who was the unlucky chump that managed to get his daughter's attention?!

With a little seedling of hope embedded in his heart, Shippou bit his lip and leaned forward a little, inwardly praying that she was talking about him. "Uh, who are you gonna marry, Izayoi?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably.

The smile that stretched Izayoi's lips, for some reason, had a ball of dread knotting tightly in his stomach and amber eyes that were identical to his own looked directly at him.

" _Daisuke_ ," she told them, her voice breathy and holding a note of absolute reverence and wonder and Inuyasha could swear he saw little fucking hearts in her eyes. Reining in the rapidly increasing urge to giggle manically, Izayoi sighed, "I'm in _loooove,_ Daddy."

The color drained from his face, his heart stopped beating and he was barely aware of the loud choking noise Shippou made as he flailed in the chair beside her. He gripped the can in his hand so tightly his claws punctured the tin and Pepsi leaked onto the floor, but he barely noticed it. Had he...had he heard that right? Did his precious daughter, his princess, his whole world, just tell him that she was going to marry that cocky little shitstain Daisuke, son of the even _bigger_ shitstain that motherfucker _Kouga?_

Inuyasha and Shippou stared at her in abject horror, the disbelief clear on their faces and if this was some sort of cruel joke, both half-demon and fox did not like it.

"D-Dai—wha—no. No no no no no no noooo, baby you can't—" Inuyasha frantically shook his head back and forth, refusing to believe his precious daughter was in love with—with _the damn wolf._ Oh god, this was a nightmare! He was dreaming, right?! This was _not_ happening, he would not accept this!

"B-but—but—but—" Shippou babbled, tears pooling in his green eyes and Izayoi felt a stab of guilt when she glanced over at him, trying not to wince.

"He's so _dreamy_ ," she gushed, biting down on her lip in an effort to keep from grinning. "Mama's gonna talk to Kouga and Ayame and see if we can—"

" _ **KA-GO-MEEEEEEEE!**_ " Inuyasha cut his daughter off with a screech that would do any banshee proud and in his frantic state he failed to notice Izayoi's rather smug look or the way Shippou seemed to have turned into a statue, complete with an unhealthy looking pallor to his skin.

"Jeez, Inuyasha," Kagome said as she sauntered into the kitchen, wiggling a finger in her ear with a wince. "Stop screaming like a banshee, I'm right—"

In a blink Inuyasha was in front of her, clutching her arms and looking utterly terrified. "Kagome, she's—she's—you can't talk to them, she _can't_ be in love with— _no!_ " He proceeded to make a noise that was a cross between a whine and a groan, the desperation obvious in his eyes and on his face, the grip he had on her arms tight Kagome could detect a slight trembling.

She blinked. Smiled, then said, "Okay."

Inuyasha paused. Stared at his wife. Blinked. "...Okay...?"

Kagome nodded. "Okay, Inuyasha. I won't talk to them and Izayoi will not be in love with Daisuke."

"...Uh..."

Drinking a glass of her mom's homemade cider she'd poured for herself, Izayoi strolled casually past them, looking very pleased with herself. " _That's_ how you scare someone, Daddy," she said cheekily and disappeared into the living room to watch some cartoons.

Shippou moaned and promptly fainted onto the floor while Inuyasha continued to stare dumbly after his conniving child.

Happy that her daughter's creative plan had gone exactly as expected, Kagome was in a much better mood now and wow, her headache had miraculously disappeared! "No more scaring Shippou, honey," she said and patted her husband's cheek affectionately before merrily sauntering into the kitchen to check on a stunned Shippou.

Still standing where she left him and looking dumbstruck, Inuyasha blinked as his brain tried to process that it had, indeed, all been a very, very cruel joke, one that – had had to admit – had scared the _shit_ out of him. "Okay," he mumbled in response, unable to move quite yet, the relief so strong it had temporarily immobilized him.

"Oh, and could you mop over by the counter?" Kagome asked as she picked up a now sleeping kitsune. "For some reason there's Pepsi all over the floor and I don't want ants. Thanks, honey. I'm gonna go take Shippou home now, love you!" She brushed past him and breezed out the door, humming a jaunty little tune to herself.

"Love you, too," Inuyasha automatically replied, suddenly feeling weak, and abruptly deciding that he'd stop being so hard on the runt for crushing on his little girl.

After all, at least _he_ wasn't related to _Kouga_.


	7. Haunted Woods

**Note:** I switched around days 7 and 8 so I could make this idea work, so this drabble and the one after it, Ritual, are connected.

 **Spooktober Day 8**

 **Haunted Woods**

"Uh…I-Izzy? Are you s-sure this is a good idea…?"

"Stop being such a scaredy-cat, Shippou! I've been in these woods a hundred times, it's _fine_."

"Yeah, but…has it ever been at _night_?"

"…Umm…like, maybe once or twice…?"

" _Izayoi!_ "

"Shhh!"

Swallowing a groan, Shippou reluctantly followed after the female hanyou deeper into the woods behind her house, looking nervously over his shoulder and half expecting to find an enraged Inuyasha rushing at them with murderous intentions. The older half-demon was going to _kill_ him when he found out he and his precious daughter had snuck out while he and Kagome were out doing errands, Shippou just knew it.

He didn't even know _why_ he'd allowed Izayoi to convince him to sneak by Sango into the kitchen and out the patio doors.

…Well, okay, maybe he did, but he was weak against his crush's puppy eyes and pleading voice! He suspected the sly hanyou knew this too, so he was helpless and had no choice but to concede. He didn't want to look like a pathetic weakling by admitting that he was terrified of entering the woods after dark, which he'd heard stories about these woods, that it was haunted and weird stuff happens at night. Besides, girls liked it when boys were brave, right? And maybe Izayoi would think he was super brave and cool if he agreed to go along, even though secretly he'd rather go to the dentist and have a root canal.

He didn't even know what a root canal was, but he heard his dad saying that it was the worst experience he'd ever had there, so he supposed it wasn't a very good thing to go through.

So now here they were, walking through the words at night, getting farther and farther away from Izayoi's house and Shippou was getting more and more nervous with every step they took. Izayoi seemed like she was in her element, her golden eyes bright, alight with the thrill of the dark woods and reveling in the sense of adventure.

Shippou bit back a whimper and sped up to catch up to partner in crime who'd gotten a little ahead of him. "Your dad's gonna kill me," he moaned, resigned to his fate. "Izayoi, I just want you to know that I'm glad I met you and our time was short, but sweet..."

Izayoi rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a drama queen, Shippou, Daddy's not gonna kill you. I won't let him." Grabbing the her fox friend's hand, the half-demon led them around a fallen log and looked around, straining her ears, listening attentively and keeping a sharp eye out for anything that looked interesting enough to investigate.

"Oh, well that's reassuring," Shippou mumbled sarcastically but couldn't stop the smile from crossing his lips. Izayoi was holding his hand and she said she wouldn't let Inuyasha murder him. Maybe this wasn't so bad, after all.

Feeling a little better now, but still wishing they would head back, Shippou allowed his crush to lead him deeper, confident she knew where she was going. It was dark, and the moon didn't provide much light since the thick canopy of trees prevented anything from penetrating, but at least their enhanced eyesight let them see where thy were going regardless. Various night sounds echoed around them, nocturnal animals calling out, crickets chirping, twigs snapping and brush rustling from predator and prey alike as they fled or perused. It was cold and the dark was stifling, but Shippou refused to admit just how freaked out he was.

"Wait," Izayoi suddenly said and came to a stop. "Do you hear that?" Tilting her head, a slight frown pulled at her brow as she concentrated on the distant sounds of...chanting?

Shippou blinked and strained his ears to hear what the girl had detected. "I don't hear anything," he announced a few seconds later, confused and a little wary. "What—"

"This way!" Without giving him a chance to reply or protest, Izayoi took off through the trees, dragging a yelping Shippou behind her, surefooted and determined to get to the bottom of what she heard. It was so strange, like a group of people was chanting in a language she'd never heard before and the closer she got to it, the more excited she became. She'd heard the stories of these woods, about how it was supposedly haunted and strange people who practiced witchcraft got together and summoned evil spirits and the ghosts that haunted it.

Struggling to keep up, Shippou was just about to yell out for her to slow down when suddenly his companion came to a halt and he crashed into her back with a grunt. Izayoi barely noticed, her eyes wide and her mouth slack with astonishment at what she was looking at.

Rubbing his nose, Shippou glared at her. "Why did you— _oomph!_ " He was abruptly jerked behind the nearest tree, a small hand covering his mouth and he looked up to see Izayoi's pale face shaking her head frantically at him, her amber eyes very large. Keeping her gaze locked on his, Izayoi jerked her head to the left, clearly indicating he should look, and wary of what he would see, Shippou slowly turned his head, the sound of a chorus of voices now penetrating through the trees and reaching his ears.

Shippou trembled and a scream lodged in his throat.


	8. Ritual

**Spooktober Day 7**

 **Ritual**

There, just behind a thin copse of trees gathered around in a manmade clearing, stood a group of figures all wearing long black cloaks, chanting in some kind of foreign language that Shippou had never heard before, and if what his eyes were telling him was correct, in the center was an unconscious human tied up against a thick pole.

"It's a ritual," Izayoi hissed, ducking down low and dragging her friend down with her.

"W-w-what?" Shippou stuttered, unable to tear his gaze away from what was happening before his eyes. All but two people had their heads down and thankfully seemed oblivious to their presence. Too scared and shocked, the two children failed to notice a silver glint coming from beneath the hood of one of the figures and had they been listening closely enough, they would have heard a feminine voice shushing the taller of the two figures over the strangely repetitive chanting.

"A ritual," she repeated and she couldn't help the slightly frightened tone to her voice. "You know, like...like something people do to summon spirits!" Shuddering, Izayoi was starting to second-guess her decision to go against her parents' wishes and come out here at night.

Shippou whimpered and edged closer to her. "S-spirits? Like...ghosts?" He gulped and stared at the weird ritual happening not even twenty feet away from them, shaking like a leaf and _really_ wishing he'd talked his friend out of this now.

"Dunno," she murmured and promptly decided they'd had enough adventuring for one night. "Ah, Shippou, w-what do you say we—"

Before she could finish her sentence, movement in the clearing caught her attention and against her better judgment she turned her head to see what it was. Instantly she regretted it; the taller of the two figures stepped up to the unconscious person, lit a match, and tossed it at the bottom into the pile of dry brush. Instantly the pole was engulfed in flames, along with the human, and then if the two children hadn't already been scared out of their wits, the creepy arsonist turned their head, looked directly at them, and revealed the glistening blood coating the bottom half of their face and covering their neck.

Fangs gleamed in a lethal, bloody grin and Shippou and Izayoi screamed before turning tail and scrambling as fast as they could back toward home, falling over themselves in their haste.

Suddenly Izayoi giggled and Shippou cast her a look that clearly suggested he was second-guessing her sanity. "Wait til my friends at school hear about _this!_ " she gushed as they neared the edge of the woods and Shippou's groan was loud in the silence of the forest.

The two cloaked figures waited until they couldn't hear the sound of footsteps running away anymore before moving. The shorter figure withdrew a fire extinguisher from the depths of their cloak, aiming at the fire that hadn't had the time to really grow and putting it out while the taller whipped out cell phone and put a stop to the chanting coming from the hidden speakers by pressing pause on the music player.

"God, this stuff reeks," a male voice growled as clawed hands lifted and pulled back the hood, revealing silver hair and dog ears.

" _You're_ the one who wanted to make it ' _real_ ,'" a feminine voice fired back as the short figure set the fire extinguisher down and tossed the hood back to glare properly at her husband with brown eyes. It quickly faded, however, and a worried look overtook her features as she gazed out in the direction the two children fled. "I still think we overdid it," she opined, biting her lip. "Are you sure it wasn't...too much?"

"Nah," the half-demon assured and produced a towel from somewhere, wiping off the fake blood coating his face and neck. "They were scared for about two minutes, then it turned to a weird combination of excitement and what I can only call disbelief since what I smelled doesn't really have a name to it, and I heard Iz say something about telling her friends at school. Trust me, it was just enough."

Still not looking very convinced, Kagome wrinkled her nose and heaved a sigh, staring at the bags of sand tied together and covered with dark bed sheet that served as their "human sacrifice." "I guess," she murmured and watched as Inuyasha started knocking down the "members" of their fake group, nothing but wooden spikes formed into a crude human shape and also covered with cheap five dollar bed sheets.

"It's fine, Kagome," her husband reassured her once more and strode over to take her into his arms. "You know Iz. Got a sense of adventure like her dad and ain't scared of nothin'." He grinned proudly and Kagome finally cracked a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"And _reckless_ like her dad," she added and Inuyasha's looked completely unrepentant and, if possible, even more proud. "Let's just hope that we didn't traumatize poor Shippou with this ruse," Kagome said and Inuyasha snorted. "So you think it worked?" she asked and idly played with a strand of hair that fell over his shoulder, the silver a stark contrast to the black of the cheap cloaks they'd gotten at Spirit Halloween.

"Definitely," he replied and leaned down to kiss his wife's nose. "That'll be the _last_ time either one of 'em thinks about sneakin' out again after dark."

"How did you know they would?"

Inuyasha gave his wife a roguish grin and waggled his eyebrows. "You mean to say you don't remember when _we_ would—"

"Down, boy," Kagome snickered and Inuyasha's chuckle was husky. "As a matter of fact," she purred and gently tugged on his hair. "I _do_ remember."

Inuyasha's amber eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she whispered, her lips curling impishly. "The real question is...do _you_ remember _what_ we—"

"Shuddup, wench," Inuyasha growled and abruptly cut off Kagome's mischievous giggles with a kiss.


	9. Necromancer

Please bear with me as I attempt to catch up on these prompts!

 **Spooktober Day 9**

 **Necromancer**

"You can't bring somebody back from the dead, doofus," Izayoi stated matter-of-factly as she strolled into the kitchen and got herself a juice box from the fridge.

Tai schlepped in after her, frowning and looking like a miniature version of his father when he was particularly argumentative. "Nuh uh," he fired back defiantly, a little pout on his face. "They did in your dumb movie!"

Izayoi turned around and scowled at her brother. "Hocus Pocus is _not_ dumb, and it's _fake_ , Tai," corrected and rolled her eyes. "There are no such things as magic or witches that come back from the dead."

"That's not what Mama said!"

Sitting at the table, Inuyasha paused in the middle of sending a text to said woman, who he could hear snickering in the other room, and slowly lifted his head to regard his children with a cocked brow. "Your mom said what, now?" he asked, curious despite himself.

Giving a quiet snort, his daughter occupied herself with punching a hole in her juice box while Tai turned to the older hanyou and huffed, crossing his small arms and in Inuyasha's opinion, looking adorable. "Mama said that—"

"Don't _tell_ him, idiot!" Izayoi hissed, shooting a panicked look at her father who in turn raised his eyebrows in surprise, then lowered them as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Don't call me idiot, stupid!" Tai retaliated, a little growl echoing in his throat as he glared at his sister.

"I'm not stupid, twerp!"

"Buttface!"

"Dweeb!"

"Bully!"

"Cry baby!"

"Hey, hey, _hey!_ " Inuyasha interjected and emitted a sharp growl that had both this children immediately shutting up and shrinking under his stern glare. "Knock it off or you're both grounded. Jesus," he muttered to himself and shook his head.

"She started it," his youngest murmured, still pouting and aiming an annoyed look at his sister.

Before Izayoi could retort, Inuyasha snapped, "I don't care who started, I'll _finish_ it. Shut _up_ , wench," he called out when he heard a loud and feminine snort form the living room. "Tai, what did your mom say?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking expectantly at the young half-demon.

Looking a mite smut, Tai started to stick his tongue out at Izayoi but his father's sharp look stalled that action and sheepishly he admitted, "Mama said—"

"Didja used to date a witch, Daddy?!" Izayoi interrupted, apparently forgetting her promise to their mother about keeping quiet about the subject, however judging by the various sounds of amusement coming from the other room, Kagome didn't seem to mind.

Inuyasha balked and stared at his daughter. "What?" he asked, thrown for a loop.

"A witch," she repeated and Tai bobbed his head up and down in agreement, his golden eyes wide with innocent wonder. "Mama said she was crazy and claimed she could raise the dead like a nec…necro…mance…?" She blinked and then shook her head. "Like a witch!"

Rubbing his forehead and shaking his head, the older half-demon sighed and wondered what the hell kind of stories his wife was telling their children to make them think he'd dated a _witch_ of all things. "I did not date a witch, you two, because one, they're not real, and two, your mom is whacked."

Kagome's loud " _Ha!_ " drifted into the kitchen, to which he ignored.

"What about Coco?" Tai asked with a puzzled frown, tilting his head and regarding his father curiously.

Inuyasha frowned. "Who?"

Izayoi rolled her eyes. "It's not Coco, moron, it's Keiko!" She blinked and cocked her head. "I think?"

Completely lost, Inuyasha stared blankly at his children, silent.

" _No_ ," Tai said fiercely and wrinkled his nose. "Kuh…"

"Ki…Kiki?"

Inuyasha suddenly paled. Oh no.

"Keek…mo…"

"Kik-ee—"

No no no nonononononono—

His too-smart-for-their-own-good children exchanged a glance. Blinked.

And chorused with matching grins, " _Kikyou!_ "

"God _dammit_ , Kagome!" Inuyasha hollered amid his devious wife's insane cackling from the other room while his mischievous children snickered and high-fived.


	10. Pumpkins

**Just a quick note:** most of these drabbles will feature Inukag and their kids, but there were will be a few that aren't.

 **Spooktober Day 10**

 **Pumpkins**

A red truck pulled into the driveway and amber eyes lit up with glee as a wide smile stretched across a young face. Scrambling down from the window seat in the living room, Tai giggle and zoomed into the kitchen where Kagome was layering the table with old newspapers and Izayoi was laying some down on the floor. "He's back!" he announced with an excited bounce and his sister squealed in reply, abandoning her job and zooming across the tile to meet him at the door, Tai right on her heels.

Rolling her eyes, but with a tolerant smile, Kagome shook her head and finished spreading out the old newspapers on the floor so she wasn't spending half the night mopping. She could hear the kids chattering excitedly as they waited anxiously at the door for their father to enter with reason he'd been gone for half an hour.

The door opened and the two young half-demon's let out twin cheers and Kagome could hear her husband's amused chuckling as he shut the door behind him.

"They're huge, Daddy!" Izayoi exclaimed. "Oh, I want that one! That one's mine!" Tai was too busy giggling in excitement to say much else.

"Go change into old clothes," Inuyasha instructed. "It's gonna get messy, and mom'll kill you if you get your school clothes dirty."

With twin cries of, "'Kay!" two sets of footsteps zoomed across the floor then raced up the stairs to change as their father bid them.

Smiling, Kagome looked up as Inuyasha strolled into the kitchen carrying two very large and round pumpkins in each arm, stepping back as he walked up to the table and set them down with a grunt. She arched a brow as she studied the massive squash sitting on her kitchen table.

"I thought Iz was exaggerating, but," Kagome started, shaking her head. "They _are_ quite large, Inuyasha. Didn't they have anything smaller?"

Inuyasha shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, but all the small ones were irregularly shaped or didn't look very healthy. Besides, I know how excited they were for this. Figured why the hell not."

Kagome sighed and reached up to tug affectionately on his ear. "Pushover," she teased. Inuyasha didn't deny it and leaned in for a quick kiss to which she happily gave.

" _We're ready!_ " Tai and Izayoi screeched as she came skidding back into the kitchen, wearing clothes they wore when playing outside or doing any sort of craft that could get messy.

"Have at it," Inuyasha said with a wave of his hand and with more excited squealing, the kids each claimed a chair – Tai had to kneel in his in order to reach his chosen pumpkin – and immediately started tracing the pattern they'd selected previously onto the uneven surface while their parents stood back and silently supervised.

After they'd traced the pattern to the best of their ability, Inuyasha and Kagome stepped in to assist with the carving, sitting in the chairs themselves then pulling the kids onto their laps. Izayoi, of course, sat with Inuyasha while Tai was content with his mother as she carved out the lid using a knife and set it aside. Her husband opted to use his claws which, Kagome was slightly envious, worked much better for scooping out the innards than a regular spoon or ladle.

After all the guts were removed, Kagome picked out the seeds and set them aside to bake later for a hard-earned snack and with a child-sized knife, she carefully guided her son's hand along the permeant parker that depicted the likeness of some kind of fanged monster with three eyes, but for the life of her Kagome couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be.

Izayoi had decided on something a little bit more complicated, the silhouette of a _dog_ – not a wolf – howling at the moon, but with her father's patient guidance and instruction, she was confident as she dug into the squash with a claw and carved out the pattern, beaming the entire time.

Two hours later the finished products of their children's dedicated effort sat proudly on the front porch steps, lit from within by a single flame and bearing their signature for all to see. A pair of tuckered half-demons dragged themselves up the stairs to get a bath and head to bed by the gentle coaxing of their father as he followed up after them to wash them up and tuck them in.

Inuyasha came back downstairs an hour later to find his wife donned in one of his old t-shirts sitting sat the table, perched on a chair and biting her lip as she put the finishing touches to the mid-sized pumpkin he'd also purchased just for them. Quirking a half-smile, he plodded over and swung his leg over so he could sit behind her with her situated comfortable between his legs. His arms went around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder as he got a good look at what she'd carved.

Immediately his face softened and he turned his head to kiss her neck. Kagome had carved out a beautiful replica of the tree in which they'd first met under its massive branches, complete with details like grooves in the bark and individual leaves.

Wordlessly Inuyasha extended a hand and using the tip of his claw, he added to the beautiful art, carving a miniscule detail into the large tree trunk and once Kagome recognized what he was doing, her smiled and turned her head to give her own kiss to his jaw. He tilted his head just in time and claimed her lips instead, giving the woman he loved more than his own life a sweet, loving kiss.

 _I+K  
_


	11. Stormy Night

**Spooktober Day 11**

 **Stormy Night**

A loud clap of thunder drowned out a frightened squeak as a tiny form huddled beneath his blankets, shaking and hugging his stuffed dog to him as tight as he could, burying his face in its rough fur. Tai's room was briefly illuminated by the streak of lightning that followed shortly after but with his eyes squeezed shut, the young half-demon saw nothing, safe under his blankets.

Or so he thought. Another reverberating boom felt like it shook the house and Tai gave scared whine, wishing he wasn't alone, but only cowards go to their parent's room during a storm. Right? He was a big kid, he didn't need—

A crack of thunder drowned out the rest of that thought and without a second thought Tai scrambled from under the covers and with a frightened cry ran form his room. Maybe kids didn't go to their parent's room, but certainly going to their big sister's was okay, right?

"IIIIIIIzzzz," Tai sobbed as he slipped into his sister's dark room and zipped toward the bed. "Are you a-awake?" Without waiting for an answer, he climbed up onto the mattress and ducked beneath the covers.

To his surprise Izayoi was already beneath them, hugging her knees to her chest and looking suspiciously bright-eyed, ears flattened against her head. Tai sniffled and huddled in close to her and Izayoi wrapped an arm around his small shoulders.

"It's—it's fine," she mumbled, secretly glad she didn't have to endure the stormy night alone. "Don't worry, I'm not scared. This—this is nothing." Thunder clapped and they both jumped. The rain pelted against the windows, the trees outside scrapped against the glass, and the wind made creepy groaning noises outside that didn't sound like zombies coming to eat their brain. They _didn't_.

Tai nodded and whimpered, clutching his sister's pajamas and trying to drown out the sounds of the scary storm outside by flattening his ears. Lightning flashed and he got a glimpse of Izayoi's face, amber eyes wide as her teeth worried her bottom lip. A deep rumble that threatened a louder boom rolled through the sky and they both tensed, unthinkingly holding one another in silent support.

Minutes passed, and when nothing louder than the heavy rain pelting against the glass echoed throughout the room, the young ones slowly began to relax, wondering and hoping that the worst of the storm had finally passed.

"Is—is it over?" Tai whispered, as if speaking any louder would trigger the storm to increase in intensity again.

Licking her lips and tilting her head, Izayoi listened carefully, straining her ears and even though the uneasy feeling she always got during storms hadn't abated, she couldn't hear any distant thunder and was the rain starting to let up a little? "I think...it stopped—"

A flash of lightning lit up the room followed immediately by the biggest clap of thunder yet as it roared through the night, angry, loud, reverberating off the walls and abruptly plunging the room into darkness as their electricity promptly went out.

The children screamed and bolted from under the covers, scrambling toward the door and running as fast as their legs would carry them to their safe haven, uncaring that it was the middle of the night.

"M-Mamaaaaa!"

"Daddyyyy!"

Having jolted awake from the thunderous boom that rocked the house, Inuyasha was already sitting up in bed when the kids careened into the room, smelling absolutely terrified and looking much the same. Beside him Kagome gasped and sat up just as their son and daughter hastily climbed up into bed with them and dove under the blankets, snuggling up close to them and trying to hide from the raging storm still going strong outside.

Immediately wide-awake, Kagome reacted instantly, cooing as she gathered her son into her arms and held him tight. "Oh, baby," she crooned and stroked his hair, kissing his forehead. "Shh, it's alright. It's just a storm," she assured and opened up her arm so Izayoi could join her embrace. Her husband was already up, yanking on a pair of jeans and then fishing around for a flashlight in the nightstand.

"Power's out," he rumbled, keeping his voice low. "Probably won't be back on anytime soon, so I'm gonna go find some candles and extra flashlights. Do you know—"

"Hallway closet."

Nodding, Inuyasha found what he was looking for and turned it on, thankful they swapped out the batters in all their flashlights every so often for an occasion such as this. Even though he wanted to stay with his family, he forced himself to leave and made quick work of tracking down all the unscented candles in the damn house, a lighter, and the promised flashlights before retreating back to the bedroom.

With a kid on either side of her, Kagome was talking to them in gentle tones, her phone's flashlight aimed toward the ceiling to provide at least some light until he returned. Inuyasha gave his children a flashlight each for their own peace of mind and went around the room, distributing candles and lighting each one until the room was alight with a soft orange glow, the fear gradually draining from their children's scent much to his relief.

They powered down the lights to preserve the batteries and Inuyasha joined his family back on the bed, scooting behind his wife and caging her and their kids between his arms and legs. With the ones he held most dear safe and sound in his embrace, the family of four waited out the storm together, quiet but content, and it wasn't long before Tai and Izayoi drifted off to the sounds of distant thunder and their mother's gentle humming, confident that in their safe haven, their parents would watch over and protect them until the morning light.


	12. Bloody

**Spooktober Day 12**

 **Bloody**

"Hey, pretty puppy."

Ears automatically flattening at the hated nickname, Izayoi sighed and rolled her eyes, not bothering to stop her forward momentum on the swing she was on. "Hi, Dai," she greeted with all the enthusiasm one might greet a rock. A dumb rock.

Unperturbed, Daisuke swaggered on over to her from...wherever the heck he came from and gave her his best charming grin, the one she was immune to because he used it so often. He leaned against the wooden beam of the swing set and simply watched her, hands in his pockets and cobalt eyes following her as she swung back and forth, seemingly uncaring that she was ignoring him.

As the silence became unnerving, however, since he still didn't say anything, Izayoi became a bit uncomfortable and blurted, "Why are you here?" Then she winced, hoping that hadn't sounded as rude as she thought it did.

Apparently Daisuke either didn't care or didn't notice because he shrugged carelessly and pushed away to move behind her far enough away so she didn't accidentally kick him. "I was bored," he replied and when she swung back toward him, he reached out and quickly grabbed the sides of her swing, halting her forward momentum. "So I figured why not to see how my pretty pup is doing."

Izayoi gasped and tightened her grasp on the chains, kicking her feet in a bid not to fall forward onto her face. "D-Daisuke! Let go!" She looked over her shoulder and aimed an annoyed glare at him. "And don't call me that."

The young wolf demon merely grinned at her but instead of doing as she said, he stepped back, bringing her further back as he did, and pushed her forward. "Wanna go higher?"

Startled, the young half-demon squealed as she was suddenly propelled forward at a much faster pace than before. "N-no, I— _stop it!_ " More annoyed than frightened, Izayoi was helpless as Daisuke yet again pushed her forward when she swung backward, making her go even hair and abruptly deciding she'd had enough of it, she grit her teeth, tensed her muscles, then at the peak of the forward sing, she launched herself out of the swing and into the air.

Unfortunately, she'd never jumped from that high before so when she landed, it was had and rather ungraceful and she ended up rolling across the ground, dirty, but more or less unscathed. She could hear Daisuke running over to her and with a growl she pushed to her feet, a little wobbly, but managing to remain standing.

If she hadn't been a half-demon she probably would have gotten off a lot worse than she had, but as of right now she was too annoyed and a little angry to truly care even if the fall had hurt her. "Daisuke," she growled, wiping some dirt off her cheek and then trying to dust off her skirt. "What the _hell?_ " She was not allowed to swear, but at that moment didn't particularly care.

Evidently relieved to see that she was okay, Daisuke relaxed and looked completely unconcerned with her anger, and in fact actually looked a little amused as she glared at him, a few twigs and leaves in he hair and dirt smudges on her skin. "You're cute when you're mad, pretty puppy," he remarked and reached out to pluck a leaf from her hair.

Izayoi ducked away from him as a growl echoed in her throat, amber eyes flashing in warning. "Don't _call_ me that," she told him, hands fisting at her sides. "Daddy will be home soon. You need to go." Actually she had no idea when her father would be back from his meeting, but he didn't need to know that.

Daisuke actually rolled his eyes and brushed her off, snorting as he waved a hand dismissively in the air and jeez, he reminded her so much of his father and how he did that to her mom it was almost scary. "Bah"—ohmigod he even _sounded_ like him—"your dad doesn't scare me. _My_ dad can kick his ass any day." The mount of arrogance and pride in his voice nearly made her scoff, but she refrained.

Izayoi narrowed her eyes. "Leave."

Daisuke smiled, ignoring her. "C'mon, pretty pup," he cajoled and quickly, before she could protest, he grabbed her arm to tug her closer. "I just got here, let's—"

With a growl that would have made her father proud, Izayoi jerked her arm out of his grasp and unprepared for such a move, Daisuke reflexively tightened his grip and ended up digging his claws into her arm.

"Oh, crap," he muttered, his face going pale and his blue eyes growing wide in alarm. "Are you o—"

His only warning was a flash of angry amber and a small fist before pain exploded behind his eyes and throughout his skull and he fell backward onto the ground with a low groan.

 **-X-**

When Inuyasha entered his home, the first thing he smelled had his face draining of color and his eyes going wide and then he was zooming toward the kitchen, skidding around the corner as terrified amber eyes zeroed in on his wife and daughter.

"Iz!" he cried and closed the distance between them quicker than a blink. Sitting on the kitchen counter, covered in dirt and looking tired but none the worse for wear, Izayoi looked up as her dad appeared before her. "What the _fuck_ —"

"She's fine, Inuyasha," Kagome calmly assured him as she cleaned the last of the blood of their daughter's arm and then applied antiseptic to the cuts. "They're not serious, and are already healing."

He shot Kagome a quick look then focused his attention on his little girl, gently grabbing her chin and frowning at the dirt smudging her cheeks and forehead. "What happened?" he demanded, brushing out the leaves and twigs from her hair.

Izayoi sighed and reached up to remove a leaf that was tickling her neck. Then she blushed and looked a mite sheepish as she admitted, "Daisuke."

The change was instantaneous; Inuyasha's expression went from worried to murderous in less than a second, ears pinning against his head and a growl thundering in his chest. "That fucking brat," he hissed, "Wait til I—"

"Daddy, wait!" Izayoi exclaimed, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt when he turned around to storm to the door. He turned annoyed amber eyes her way and was confused to see she looked a little panicked. "It's okay, you don't have to—"

"I'm not letting that little shit get away with hurting you, babygirl," Inuyasha interrupted and carefully shrugged her off before storming out of the kitchen and toward the front door. "I'm gonna kick his ass, then beat his bastard of a father bloody for allowing him to do that to you."

"Inuyasha," Kagome called, sounding tired, but he ignored her and could do nothing as Izayoi hopped down from the counter and took off after him.

"Dad, please," she begged, skirting around in front of him and attempting to halt his determined stride by planting her hands on his chest. It didn't work. "You don't have to—I mean I already—"

Before she could finish that sentence, the doorbell suddenly rang and Inuyasha paused, frowning at the door he was only a few feet away. Izayoi squeaked and looked over her shoulder, looking strangely guilty, but he didn't dwell on it as he gently coaxed his daughter to the side to cross the scant distance to the door and jerk it open, already having a good idea of who it was.

While he was expecting the wolfshit himself, he had _not_ anticipated his son to be standing there as well, dried blood smeared across his lips, jaw and down to his neck, evidence from an already healing broken nose. Looking appropriately contrite, Daisuke refused to meet Inuyasha's gaze or that of his daughter's, instead staring at the ground with his hands in his pockets and a guilty flush on his cheeks.

With his arms crossed, Kouga started mutely at the half-demon, who in turn crossed his arms as well and gazed back steadily. Blue eyes flicked to the young girl beside him and nodded. Izayoi blushed and nodded back, hiding behind her father.

"Even though your girl can clearly take care of herself," Kouga started, cocking an eyebrow. "I believe my idiot son still has something to say, don't you, Dai?" When the younger wolf demon remained silent, Kouga scowled and lightly swatted the back of his head. "I said, _don't you_ , Daisuke?"

Grumbling and rubbing the back of his abused head, Daisuke sighed and lifted his head enough to peek at Izayoi, his expression lacking any of its usual arrogance and blue eyes alight with guilt. "Sorry, Izayoi," he mumbled and when Kouga roughly nudged his shoulder, he tacked on, "I apologize for hurting your daughter, Mr. Taisho." Then he bowed and stayed that way.

Inuyasha was silent as he studied the young wolf-demon, expression blank, and flicked a glanced down at his daughter beside him. She was covering her face with her hands, clearly embarrassed, and he fought a smile. Nodding, he said. "Fine. Apology accepted. Keep your brat away from my girl, wolfshit," he said mildly and ignored Izayoi's small groan.

Rolling his eyes, Kouga waved a hand in the air. "Yeah, yeah. C'mon, Dai. It's time to face your mom, and you know she's a helluva lot scarier than muttface here will ever be."

Inuyasha scowled and turned his gaze to Daisuke. "Boy," be barked and obediently the younger wolf stilled, hesitantly turning his head to look at the older half-demon with wary blue eyes. "You got off lucky this time, brat," he started and amber eyes narrowed with thinly veiled threat. "Just keep in mind that if there _is_ a next time, I hit a helluva lot harder than she does. We clear?"

As Kouga snorted, Daisuke flinched and nodded frantically, wondering why the hell he had to like a girl with temperamental and angry half-demon for a father. "Y-yes, sir," he mumbled and made a hasty retreat, following after his sire and not once looking back.

With a moan of defeat, Izayoi slumped against her father's legs and didn't protest when strong arms scooped her up and even though she was a little too big to be carried now, she nonetheless laid he head on her father's shoulder and sighed.

"That's my girl," Inuyasha said proudly and couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping. "You really got him good, Iz," he continued with a snicker and headed back toward the kitchen.

Izayoi flushed. "It was reflex," she defended herself with a pout. "I didn't even think, it just...happened." She winced. "Oh my god, that sounds _worse_."

Inuyasha laughed and kissed her forehead. "The brat has to learn sometime, babygirl," he remarked and set her back on the counter so he could take a look at her arm more closely. As Kagome had said, they weren't that bad, just shallow cuts that would heal within the hour. "I'm just disappointed you didn't go for his—"

" _Daddy_ ," she cut him off but not without a giggle, her face adorably flushed and amber eyes bright.

Inuyasha grinned and bent down to kiss the cuts on her arm, then nuzzle noses with her, drawing a brilliant smile from her. "All joking aside, I'm glad you finally put him in his place, babygirl. The kid's way too much like his bastard dad and doesn't know how to take a hint."

Izayoi's golden eyes gleamed mischievously. "You mean like how Mr. Matsuno chased after mom?"

Inuyasha leveled his daughter with a deadpan stare that had her giggling. "Yes," he replied blandly, then shook his head, unable to keep the grin from surfacing. "Do me a favor, though."

She tilted her head. "Yeah?"

"Seriously, next time really do for the b—"

" _Inuyasha!" "Dad!"_ came the simultaneous shouts of mother and daughter and Inuyasha laughed, unrepentant.


	13. Vampires

You can thank the sinful ladies (and gentlemen) on the Inuyasha discord server for this _pun-derful_ piece of trash.

 **Fun fact:** I Googled "sexy vampire consumes" for the inspiration of Kagome's costume so it's not based on just one picture, otherwise I'd share the link haha. Sorry.

 _ **PLEASE NOTE: This drabble is NSFW.**_

I had originally planned to keep this story more or less SFW, but well...you can see how well that worked for me.

 **Spookertober Day 13**

 **Vampires**

"C'mon, Kagome, hurry up! You're gonna make us late!"

"I'll be out in a minute! It's this stupid corset, it won't—stay— _down_ —"

Rolling his eyes, though intrigued by the idea of his wife in a corset, Inuyasha shook his head and shrugged on the plain white button down shirt he'd bought just for this occasion, leaving it open and revealing the hard planes of his chest and abdomen. His "costume" was supposed to be the victim to his wife's Vampire Queen so paired with some cheap jeans he'd tore holes into and a fake bite mark on his neck that oozed faux blood, it was probably going to be the most simple costume at the party, but he didn't really care. If he was being honest, he'd rather stay at home but Kagome had been looking forward to his annual company Halloween Party, as she did every year, and she'd bought her costume months in advance, like in July or something.

He didn't want to be a dick and take that away from her just because he was feeling antisocial, and he knew she loved the attention, though she denied it every year. Her costume never failed to be the best one out of everyone's there – and almost every year more than half of the employees show up which is a helluva lot – so who the hell was he to deny her this simple pleasure? Forcing himself to interact and be social would be totally worth it to see his wife glow under the praise and smile so beautifully.

Quirking a half-smile, Inuyasha glanced at the clock—and promptly cursed. "Kagome," he called, turning around and taking as step toward the master bathroom. "We—"

He stopped. Stared. Forgot how to breathe. And had to bite his lip to stifle the groan that welled up when all the blood in his brain promptly traveled southward and gathered at a very _specific_ place on his body, one that she'd clearly be able to see since he hadn't bothered to fasten his jeans yet.

Blood red lips lifted up into a sly smile as dark eyes flashed wickedly at him. "How do I look?" she purred and executed a slow turn around and yep he was hard as a fucking rock now.

"Fuck," Inuyasha breathed, eyes greedily taking in her costume with obvious appreciation. She must have added a few of her own modifications to it because he was positive she had _not_ purchased it like _that_ at the store and it _definitely_ had not been that short, either. Ending at about her mid-thigh, the sexy black leather that made up her costume clung to her figure and hugged her breasts so enticingly his mouth watered and his palms itched to touch those sensual curves. The corset was split down the middle to about her navel, however the red laces crisscrossing the alluring sliver of skin kept the garment together just enough to support her breasts while still showing a generous amount of cleavage. She'd cut holes in the sides of the leather, revealing a teasing flash of the skin at her hips and part of her midriff, and her slim legs were sheathed in fishnet stockings. She was wearing his favorite "Fuck Me" pumps and attached to the black sleeves that covered her arms was a light, gauzy material that flowed gentle with every movement, floating around her hips and drawing his attention to the hint of the black lace of her panties.

Swallowing thickly, his breathing a bit labored now, Inuyasha forced his gaze back up and took in his wife's seductive smile, an involuntary growl erupting in his chest when she dragged the tip of her tongue over her red lips. With her raven hair falling down her back in gentle waves and her dark eyes holding a thousand promises of pleasure, Inuyasha was hard-pressed not to say screw the party and have their _own_ party right here in their bedroom.

Because _fuck_ his wife was hot.

With an impish gleam in her eyes, Kagome tilted her head slightly and purred, "I von to suck your"—her gaze dropped to his erection briefly then darted back to his face with a little curl to her lips—"... _blood_."

Inuyasha smirked and heated amber eyes gradually traveled down her body, lingering on certain areas before going back up and locking his gaze onto hers. "I got somethin' you can suck," he rumbled and crooked a finger at her, silently beckoning her over to him.

Feeling very proud and perhaps a tad bit smug at her husband's reaction to her costume, Kagome sauntered her way over to him and yeah okay maybe she was putting in a little extra swing to her hips just to watch him track the movement with a hungry growl, but the way he was looking at her made her feel really good and, well...a little sexy. Being a mom was the best thing that had ever happened to her, besides meeting Inuyasha, but she'd be lying if she said she sometimes didn't feel gross and flabby. She was supremely glad that her handsome hanyou was still just as attracted to her now as he was when they first met.

Stopping before him, Kagome hummed and slowly drew a finger down his chest, to his hard abdomen and traced the tantalizing line of silver hair that disappeared into his boxers. Inuyasha shuddered and her smile widened.

"What about the party?" she whispered, trapped within the honeyed, heated depths of her husband's gaze. Hooded and smoldering, they burned into her own and a rush of liquid head gathered between her legs.

"Fuck the party," he growled and clawed hands landed on her hips, tugging her closer.

"Are you sure it's the _party_ you want to f—"

Kagome was abruptly cut off by her husband cupping her ass, lifting her up against him and claiming her lips with his in a hungry kiss before purposely striding over to the bed and just falling onto it without releasing his hold on her. She giggled as they bounced a few times and Inuyasha emitted a husky chuckle as they scooted up so they were fully on the bed and he wasted no time in covering her body with his own, impatient hands slipping beneath the tight leather, grabbing her panties and impatiently yanking them down her legs.

She lifted her hips to assist him while her hand dove into his unfastened jeans, shoved down his boxer-briefs and wrapped eager fingers around his hard length as she nibbled on his lips, slicking her tongue across the tender flesh and dueling with his own.

"Mmmm," Kagome breathed, stroking the throbbing erection in her hand and smiling at his choked gasp. "I wanna _suck_ you so hard." She bit her lip to stifle the snicker that threatened to escape and then gasped when clawed fingers slipped between her thigh and discovered slick heat.

Inuyasha barked out a rough laugh and teased the sensitive bundle of nerves just above her center; she whimpered and bucked her hips. "Get ready to be _impaled_ by my _stake_ ," he growled, roughly pushing her dress up around her waist and groaning quietly when she spread her thighs for him.

Kagome gave another breathy laugh and released him to wrap her arms around his neck, lifting her hips up against his in a wordless plea. "Where have you been all my afterlife?" She couldn't hold back her grin as she pressed her face into his neck and nibbled on the skin there.

Urging her legs to wrap around his hips, Inuyasha braced a hand on the bed beside her head while the other snaked around her hips to keep her steady. "The only death you'll be getting from _this_ wood," he grunted, aligning himself with her hot core, "is gonna be nothing but _sweet_." Without warning he slammed into her with a single, hard thrust and dual cries of pleasure echoed throughout the room.

Kagome arched her back and moaned as she dug her hands into his hair. "So good," she breathed, bucking her hips and meeting his thrusts with her own.

With burning amber eyes and ragged breath, Inuyasha thrust into her over and over again, watching his gorgeous wife writhe beneath him, watching the way her breasts bounced from the force of his strokes and ears straining to catch every little sexy moan and whimper that escaped her painted lips. He growled in appreciation and then with a wicked curl to his lips, he leaned down and scraped his fangs along her neck, swiping his tongue and sampling the salty flesh.

"You look… _fang_ -tastic," he rumbled and was rewarded with a choked laugh followed by a breathy moan. Inuyasha grinned and continued, "A real fang-tasy," before latching his mouth onto her neck and sucking hard, determined to leave his mark.

Biting down on her lip, her shoulders shaking with laughter as he continued to pound her into the mattress, Kagome cupped the back of his neck and tilted her head to the side to give him better access, brushing her lips against his ear as she whispered, "I'm your biggest f-fang-girl."

"But of _corpse_ ," he fired back, eliciting a giggle-snort from her and he buried his face in her neck to muffle his own laughter.

"You're so dead-icated," Kagome gasped and then moaned, " _God_ , yes."

A husk chuckle met her ears and she smiled, unable to hold back a snicker, however it was quickly followed by a moan as Inuyasha delivered as series of hard, punishing thrusts that had her seeing stars. " _Ah!_ " She tossed her head back, eyes closed, chest heaving for breath and sweat glistening on her skin.

"I don't _suck_ in _vein_ ," Inuyasha returned and then groaned as she rolled her hips and ground against him and he had to slam his hand on the bed to brace himself from the pleasure that rocked through his body. " _F-fuck_."

Kagome's breathing quickened as her hands fisted in his hair and despite the pleasure that was making it very difficult to think about anything other than how good he felt, she managed to stutter out around a low moan, "Y-you drive me b-batty." With a tug she brought his head up and crushed her mouth over his as she struggled to keep up with his ruthless thrusts, inner muscle tightening with imminent release.

Inuyasha gave a strangled laugh and grinned against her mouth, murmuring "You're _dead sexy_ ," before reaching between them and rubbing at her clit with a finger, driving her higher, wanting to feel her clench around him, wanting to hear her scream his name.

Kagome's broken giggles were abruptly interrupted by the sharp cry that fell from her lips at the extra stimulation and her entire body jerked, back bowing off the bed as her mouth fell open. " _Inuuuuuu_ ," she keened, her hands falling to the bed and clutching at the blankets, helpless as he made her body his own and made her forget everything but him. "I'm—gonna—"

"Come for me," Inuyasha growled and roughly grabbed her hips, pumping into her harder, faster until Kagome suddenly went taut beneath him, her tight sheath clamping down hard around his cock and her mouth fell open in a soundless cry of his name as her eyes went wide.

Inuyasha shuddered, grit his teeth, and then came hard with a hoarse shout of her name, giving a few more hard pumps of his hips before falling forward with a groan and catching himself on his hands above her, silver hair damp with sweat falling around them like a silver curtain. His arms trembled as he panted for breath, eyes closed, willing his heart to regain its normal pace.

Feeling thoroughly satiated and entirely lethargic, Kagome sighed in complete contentment, her body buzzing pleasantly from such an intense climax and gently she urged her husband to lay down on top of her, to which he happily complied with a soft grunt. Smiling, she ran her fingers through his hair as he contented himself with peppering kisses along her neck and jaw, strong arms wrapping around her waist and holding her tight.

"Hmm…Inuyasha," she breathed in his ear and slipped her hands beneath his open shirt to splay her hands on the hot and sweaty muscles of his back.

"Mmm?" He trailed his lips from the delicate line of her jaw to her ear, nibbling on the lobe and teasing the flesh behind it with his tongue.

Biting her lip to withhold a snicker, Kagome brushed his ear with her lips and whispered, " _You slay me._ "

He laughed.


	14. Chills

**Spooktober Day 14**

 **Chills**

Bare feet sprinted down the carpeted hallway, stumbling in her haste to reach her parent's room and her concern great enough that she hardly even paused when the door slammed against the wall from the force of her entrance. She zoomed across the room, tripping over her own feet, and when she reached the side of the bed she reached out and frantically shook the figure beneath the blankets.

"Mama," Izayoi called, still shaking her, her face pale and her voice desperate. " _Mama!_ "

Fully rousing at the sound of her daughter's frantic voice, Kagome blinked her eyes open and peered at the young half-demon at her bedside, barely making out her wide, frightened amber eyes and her pale face. Instantly alarmed Kagome shot up and reached toward her, aware of Inuyasha sitting up beside her with a concerned frown.

"Iz?" she asked, her voice husky from sleep. "What's wrong? What happened, are you okay?"

"It's Tai," Izayoi whispered, shaking her head. "He's—"

"Aw, _shit_ ," Inuyasha swore and hurriedly got out of bed, not even pausing to jerk on a pair of jeans as he jogged out the door in his boxers and headed toward his son's room, toward the very unpleasant smell that grew more prominent the closer he approached. " _Shit_ —Tai? I'm comin', bud, hold on."

Truly concerned now, Kagome turned toward Izayoi, her eyes as wide as her daughter's, the question in her eyes clear as day.

With wilted ears, Izayoi admitted, "Tai's sick, Mama."

Kagome grimaced as the sinking feeling in her stomach developing into a hard knot of worry. "I was afraid of that," she sighed and nodded. "Thanks, sweetie. You can go back to sleep if you want." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and kissed Izayoi's forehead before standing and retrieving her bathrobe, quickly shrugging it on and exiting the bedroom.

She wasn't really surprised to hear her daughter following after her – despite her "mean older sister" image, Kagome knew she loved and worried for her younger brother like any sibling would.

She met Inuyasha in the hallway carrying their sick child and instantly she moved over to them, her face a mask of concern as she touched Tai's flushed cheek and smoothed back his hair. "Oh, baby," she murmured. "Don't feel good?"

Limp in his father's arms, Tai's eyes were brimming with tears and he sniffled, his little form shaking. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said hoarsely. "I got sick."

"Shh," she soothed and stroked his cheek, frowning at how warm he felt. "Don't be sorry, baby, you didn't do anything wrong. Your dad and I are gonna do everything we can to help you feel better, okay? Let mom and dad take care of you." She caught a tiny ear between her fingers and soothingly rubbed the sensitive flesh, leaning up to kiss his nose.

Tai sniffled again and nodded, clinging to his father as Inuyasha started down the hallway toward the bathroom, murmuring quietly to him and rubbing his back with a hand.

Watching them go with a sigh, Kagome idly wondered what time it was as she headed toward the kitchen with Izayoi in tow.

"Is he gonna be okay, Mama?" she asked, biting on her lip, ears drooped and amber eyes wide.

"It's probably just the flu," Kagome answered as she flicked on the stove light turned the Keurig on; she doubted she or Inuyasha would be getting any more sleep tonight. "Some of my students are out with it too so it's going around. He'll be fine, sweetie. It's contagious, though, so try to stay away from him, even if it does sound a little mean." She got out two mugs and sent her daughter an inquisitive look. "Are you going to go back to sleep, Iz?"

Izayoi bit her lip and stared off in the direction of the bathroom, her brow wrinkled as she thought it over. She turned back to her mother, looking hopeful now. "Can I stay up?" she asked cautiously. "I'm worried."

Expression softening, Kagome gave her daughter a smile and nodded. "Of course, sweets." She retrieved an extra mug, her daughter's favorite princess one, and pulled down some hot chocolate from the cupboard. "I need to go take care of the mess in Tai's room, though, so stay here. I don't think your nose can handle the smell."

Izayoi's nose wrinkled just thinking about it and she nodded, agreeing easily.

An hour later, with Tai's room cleaned and the door closed as a fan blew out any lingering scents, chemical or otherwise out of an open window, the young hanyou himself was freshly washed, donned in clean pajamas, and curled up on his dad's lap on the couch, the TV on low with some cartoons playing on the screen.

Izayoi sat curled up in the corner of the couch, a fresh mug of hot cocoa in her hands and a concerned frown on her face as she gazed at her younger brother, ears low on her head. Both of her parents could tell she was struggling to stay awake and figured it wouldn't be much longer until she nodded off, but all the same they admired that she wanted to be there for her little brother and make sure she was okay. Sure, they fought and bickered like any regular siblings, but Inuyasha and Kagome were supremely glad the young half-demon took her role as a big sister seriously and was just as protective of him as they were.

Having swapped her bathrobe for sweats and a t-shirt after cleaning her son's room, Kagome stifled a yawn as she meandered into the living room and sank down on the couch next to her husband and child, reaching out to press a hand to his forehead. Her baby was burning up but despite the fever he had, his little body was wrecked with chills, his flushed face dotted with sweat and his amber eyes glazed and sleepy.

Amber eyes blinked slowly up at her and then a wide yawn stretched his mouth, showing tiny fangs and eliciting tears to develop in the corner of his eyes. Smiling gently, Kagome smoothed back his hair and rubbed his ear, wishing her baby wasn't feeling so miserable, but the doctor's office wasn't open until 8 am tomorrow and urgent care wouldn't do anything but tell them what they already knew before slamming with them a ridiculously huge bill.

"Why don't you try and go to sleep, baby?" Kagome murmured and tucked the blanket more firmly around his shivering body. "In the morning we'll go to the doctor's and get you some medicine to make you feel better, okay?"

Tai gave a soft sigh and snuggled more firmly against his father. In response Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair and emitted that soothing rumble in his chest to help relax him. "K-kay, Mama," he muttered, his eyes drifting closed. "C-can you stay w-with me?"

"We'll both be right here, and we ain't leavin', bud," Inuyasha answered for her and Kagome nodded in agreement.

A little frown puckered his brown. "Iz?" he murmured, so quietly the girl in question almost didn't hear.

Eras pricking forward, Izayoi set her mug on the coffee table and crawled across the couch to settle against her mother's side. "I'm here too," she affirmed and released a yawn, resting her head on Kagome's shoulder.

A little smile curved Tai's lips at the sound of his sister's voice as sleep finally claimed him.

Wrapping an arm around her daughter and then shifting so she was in a more comfortable position leaning into her husband's side, Kagome sighed and settled in to wait until morning, making a mental note to call the school to excuse the children from going. Izayoi would no doubt be too tired to function in her lessons, and she felt more comfortable having her here just in case she started showing symptoms of the flu, too.

Inuyasha kicked his legs up onto the coffee table and dropped a kiss to his wife's head, stretching his free arm both she and his little girl and keeping them close.

Together Inuyasha and Kagome watched over their children until the dawn's first rays of sunlight filtered into the living room bay windows, chasing away the chill of the night, and as Inuyasha carefully transferred their sleeping son into Kagome's arms so he could put Izayoi into bed, they were both relieved to discover that his fever had subsided considerably and his chills had disappeared.


	15. Horror Movies

The _only_ way to watch a horror movie.

 **Spooktober Day 15**

 **Horror Movies**

"Are they asleep?"

"Yep," Kagome replied as she plopped heavily next to her husband on the couch with a long sigh, smiling when he slipped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his side. She snuggled into him with an appreciative hum, bringing her legs up and wrapping her own arms around his waist. She buried her face his chest and felt more than heard Inuyasha's low chuckle as he dropped a kiss to her head.

"Still up for it?" he asked, stroking his hand up and down her side as he brought up his feet and propped them on the coffee table.

Wrinkling her nose, Kagome deliberated and stared thoughtfully at the TV then nodded. "Mmm, yeah, go ahead and start it." She tilted her head and aimed a smile up at him. "It's been a while since we had some time to ourselves. It'll be like a stay at home date night."

Inuyasha snorted but grinned as he picked up the remote and pressed play to start the horror movie they'd rented. "If I recall, we just had a stay at home date night," he reminded her and set the device on the table before leaning back and slanting her a sly look. "A few days ago. While the kids were at your mom's. The night of the Halloween party. And we—"

He was cut off when Kagome playfully pressed her hand against his mouth with a few snickers and he laughed, amber eyes bright with amusement. "You're such a brat," Kagome laughed as Inuyasha caught her hands, gave a kiss to each palm, and then laced their fingers together.

"You love it," he teased and leaned down to steal her lips in a sweet kiss.

"Mmm," Kagome hummed, smiling against his lips. "Maybe..."

"'Maybe,' my ass," Inuyasha growled and deepened the connection, bringing a hand up to cup the back of her head while his other hand slyly edged beneath her shirt.

Kagome broke away and turned her attention toward the television. "Oh, it's starting!"

Inuyasha groaned and rolled his eyes, but gave in with a resigned sigh and sat back, grumbling under his breath and no, he was _not_ pouting.

It wasn't even twenty minutes into the film when Inuyasha apparently grew bored and took advantage of the exposed creamy skin of his wife's neck, sweeping aside her hair to plant kisses along the slender column and nibbling gently.

Kagome tried to ignore him at first, staring vividly at the television, but when his hand inched up her thigh and clawed fingers edged beneath her shirt to tease the skin at her navel, she frowned and attempted to twist away, pulling at his hand. "Inuyasha..."

"C'mon, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured, grazing his always against her belly and traveling up to her chest as he nipped her earlobe. "The kids are asleep, we're alone...who knows when the next time is we'll be able to take advantage of it?" He suddenly smirked and whispered heatedly in her, "Besides...I can _smeee_ —"

"Stop smelling me, you freak," Kagome said but couldn't withhold the giggle that escaped. Inuyasha chuckled and started kissing her neck again, darting his tongue out and sampling the delectable flesh. She groaned and breathed, "Ugh, you don't play fair, dogboy."

"I never play fair, wench." Before Kagome could protest, he dragged her onto his lap, her thighs on either side of his hips and he was kissing her, hands under her shirt, losing himself in her taste and with a resigned sigh she gave in, her own hands diving into his hair and toying with his sensitive ears. He growled, Kagome smiled, and suddenly his hands were unfastening her jeans, she was doing likewise to his, and then time seemed to fade away as they moved together as one, gentle gasps and sweet endearments exchanged as they made love in the dark of the living room, the movie all but forgotten.


	16. Graveyard

**Note:** Raiden is my OC and he's also a dog youkai because reasons leave me alone adjfal;

 **Spooktober Day 16**

 **Graveyard**

"C'mon, Iz," Rin begged her cousin, grabbing her arm and shaking it as a last ditch effort to get her to agree with what she was asking. "Please go with me! I don't wanna go alone, and _Kohaku_ is gonna be there!" As what always happened whenever her crush was mentioned, Rin got all starry-eyed and dreamy-faced, a goofy smile stretching her lips as a little blush stole across her cheeks. Realizing she was daydreaming a second later, though, she shook her head and pegged Izayoi with a desperately pleading look, pouting her lips and attempting to look pathetic.

Rolling her eyes, used to her cousin's shenanigans to get her way, Izayoi ignored her as she sipped her chocolate milk, bored amber eyes gazing across the noisy cafeteria and not really looking at anything in particular. When she realized she wasn't going to get an answer, Rin shook her again and the young half-demon grunted, slanting the human girl an annoyed look.

Rin looked close to tears – Izayoi didn't buy it, knowing from first hand experience how she was able to fake it to get her Uncle to agree to anything – and she tried again. "Pleeaaaassseeee, Izzy? For me? Your favorite cousin?

"You're my _only_ cousin, Rin," Izayoi pointed out with a sigh then frowned. "Well, blood related, at least. And Kohaku is like, sixteen. You're _thirteen_. He probably doesn't even know you exist." She sucked up the last of the chocolaty drink from the straw and set the mini carton onto her tray before crossing her arms and eyeing her cousin with a raised eyebrow.

"Not true," Rin protested, releasing her arm and huffing as she poked at the half-eaten pizza on her tray. "He smiled at me...once...like, two years ago."

Izayoi was silent. Then, "God, you're pathetic."

Rin shrugged, not denying it, and her smile was _rather_ sly as she sing-songed, "Raiden will be the-e-e-re..."

Izayoi stiffened. Flushed. And almost of their own accord her eyes searched the crowed lunchroom for raven hair, a lean physic, and gorgeous blue-green eyes and she found him instantly. Surrounded by his friends, laughing and looking just so freakin' cute, Raiden was as per usual the center of attention, getting drawn every which way as people vied for his attention, asking him questions, wanting to just be near him, and, Ohmigod, she so understood that. It was like she was the moth, he the flame, she was just…drawn to him in a way she couldn't explain, but what did it matter because my _god_ look at that smile…

Rin smiled, all smug satisfaction. "Pack a flashlight. And some extra underwear."

"I can't _believe_ I let you talk me into this," Izayoi groaned later that night as she trudged alongside her devious cousin through the graveyard, flashlight pointed at the ground to see where she was going and so she didn't run into any tombstones. Among them, chattering excitedly and joking around were some of their mutual friends and other kids from school who'd been invited to the "Annual Spook Night," in which every year around the middle of October someplace in town was chosen, usually somewhere creepy or abandoned, to walk around an explore to get people into the spirit of Halloween. This year it happened to be the town's oldest cemetery with tombstones dating all the way back to the Feudal ages.

"I _didn't_ ," Rin protested, sounding distracted a quick glance revealed that she was gazing at Kohaku a little ways ahead of them. "As soon as I mentioned Raiden was coming—"

"Ugh, don't remind me of my weakness," the half-demon muttered, ears lowering in shame as her cousin tittered beside her. "Whose idea was this place even, anyway?"

Rin blushed and then looked way too innocent.

Izayoi sighed, shaking her head as she glanced over at Kohaku. "Of course. Why else would you wanna go," she muttered to herself, knowing that her cousin would do anything to gain her crush's attention—even if that mean prowling around a centuries old graveyard after dark.

"Shuddup. You're only here for R—"

" _Shh!_ " Flapping a hand in Rin's face to shut her up, Izayoi's cheeks erupted in color and she glanced over at her crush, which just so happened to be walking beside Kohaku. Thankfully he didn't appear to notice, his head leaned in close to his human friend as they whispered quietly to themselves. "Alright, _fine_ ," she hissed, wrinkling her nose. "But just remember I—"

Izayoi suddenly broke off and frowned, turning her head and lifting her nose into the air, taking a few delicate sniffs.

Rin blinked and gave her cousin a curious look, wondering what had caught her attention enough to stop talking. "Iz?" she whispered and crowded a little closer. "What is it?" She would never admit it, of course, especially with Kohaku right there, but she was a little freaked out by all the creepy tombstones and graves they were meandering around, and she really didn't like the way Izayoi was suddenly very interested in something.

Silver ears flicked and amber eyes narrowed slightly, beyond the two boys ahead of them and into the darkness. "It's weird," she murmured, a note of confusion in her voice. "But I _swear_ I can smell—"

A lone howl suddenly pierced the night and everybody froze as all talking immediately ceased. A few seconds passed in which nobody dared moved, scarcely breathed, and then it happened again, joined by two other foreboding howls, however this time _much_ closer, and then it was chaos.


	17. Werewolves

**Note:** Raiden is my OC and is also a dog youkai. for reasons

This drabble is a direct sequel to day 16, **Graveyard** , so be sure to read that one first! :)

 **Spooktober Day 17**

 **Werewolves**

Screams pierced the night air as teens and preteens alike scrambled to flee for safety, shouts of "werewolf!" and "monster!" echoing around as flashlights bounced, footsteps frantically climbed over tombstones, or bodies crouched low in an attempt to save themselves. More howling, mixed in with badly stifled laughter, drifted on the wind but no one noticed. Except for one person.

Through it all Izayoi stood there, dumbfounded and blinking and belatedly she realized that Rin had latched onto Kohaku and was begging him to "protect her." She frowned, vaguely registering the male laughter coming from two familiar voices, but all she could do was stand there as people lost their minds.

"Guys," she said calmly, truly wondering why nobody had realized it yet. "Why are you all so scared? It's just—"

A masculine arm suddenly draped over her shoulders and a familiar scent teased her nose, making her tense up as an automatic flush heated her cheeks. She squeaked and darted wide amber eyes up at Raiden, who was grinning boyishly down at her, attractive blue-green eyes glinting in amusement.

"Shh," he said with a wink and oh god did her heart just stop? "Let 'em have their spook. I don't smell any real fear anyway, and listen—" He cocked his head and instinctively following his demand, Izayoi flicked her ears and picked up the soft sounds of laughter coming from her friends and fellow students as they recovered from the faux fright and she realized, despite how fake it really was, they had chosen to be scared all for the sake of Spook Night and to get hyped up for Halloween.

Izayoi blinked, and then started giggling, her face turning a darker shade of red, though from embarrassment or his mere presence, she couldn't be sure. "Oh," she said and she nearly melted when she felt his low chuckle reverberate in his chest.

At that moment Daisuke at his two friends appeared from the abyss, wearing store bought werewolf masks and donned in all black to blend in. They all high-fived each other then took off their masks, revealing proud grins.

Raiden aimed one last smile at her before sauntering over to meet the wolves, congratulating them on a job well done as he fist-bumped all three and Kohaku, sans Rin, meandered over to do the same. Around them everybody was laughing and joking again, chattering about how Spook Night had been a huge success as per usual although if she were honest, Izayoi felt like she'd been cheated because of her senses.

But then again... Looking over at Raiden as Rin tripped up to her, gushing about how she'd clung to her crush and he'd patted her shoulder, a secret little smile curved Izayoi's lips and she pressed a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

Maybe she _hadn't_ been cheated, after all.


	18. Behind You

This actually turned out a lot different than what I had originally planned. actually it's nowhere near what Irene and I discussed but oh well this is even better in my opinion xD

 **Spooktober Day 18**

 **Behind You**

"Mama! Look out behind you!"

With a gasp, Kagome spun around, only to be bombarded with the living room pillows as they sailed through the air toward her and with quiet giggle she put up her arms in an attempt to protect herself.

"Nooo!" she cried, trying not to laugh as she pretended to be mortally wounded by a cushion that hit her stomach. "I've been hit! Go on without me!" With dramatic flare, Kagome sank to the floor, gasping in exaggerated breathlessness while clutching her chest.

Muffled giggles, and then, "I'll save you, Mommy!" With all the bravery of a gallant knight, Tai swooped in and started firing pillows at the enemy, a young female half-demon armed with a toy light saber and some cardboard that served as a shield.

"You fools!" Izayoi crowed, swinging her saber through the air at the pillows that landed just short of where she was standing, trying to keep a straight face though not being very successful. "You cannot defeat me!" Having been drawn into the game by her brother, even after protests that she was too _old_ for such things, Izayoi had to admit she was actually having fun. When was the last time the three of them had played like this? The only thing that would make it perfect was if her dad was here, but he didn't get home from work for another few hours. Oh, well, she could regale him of their great battle when he got home, and maybe get him to play another game with them!

"Oh, brave knight!" Kagome cried and was unable to smother a laugh that time. "Save me!" Dramatically flinging an arm over her head, Kagome struck a pose while she laid there on the floor between the living room and kitchen, smiling like the dickens and filled with so such love for her amazing children.

"Rraaaaahhh!" Tai gave a battle cry and dove forward, using a pillow to swat harmlessly at the light saber and Kagome watched them have it out, trading lackluster taunts, however their laughter prevented them from really being intelligible. It didn't matter, though; they were all having a grand old time, and being thorough distracted by their spur of the moment game, all three failed to notice the front door swinging open and a tall silver-haired figure entering the house.

The door closed with a soft click and amber eyes watched in delighted amusement as his children dove for one another at the same time and fell to the floor amongst a heap of pillows (?) and wrestled for supremacy, matching grins on their gleeful faces and badly stifled giggles intermixed with taunts and not-so-imaginative threats. His wife was just...lying on the floor, watching their kids with a brilliant smile and making no effort to stifle her mirth as she called out cheers and encouragement to her brave knight savior.

Crossing his arms and leaning back against the door, Inuyasha quirked a grin and simply watched, suddenly very glad he'd decided to come home early and spend the rest of the day with his family.

Absorbed in the highly amusing show her son and daughter were putting on with their faux bottle, Kagome wasn't aware of the pair of eyes watching their every movement as she rolled onto her hands and knees, snuck up behind Izayoi, and caught her around the shoulders.

"Quick!" she entreated. "Now's your chance!" Quicker than a flash Kagome's fingers stole to her daughter's sides and started tickling her mercilessly.

"Aaaahhh!" Izayoi squealed and started squirming, dropping her weapon and pushing at her mother's hands. "N-no fair!" Laughing and red faced, she attempted to escape her mother's grasp but to no avail. "Taaaiii! Save meeeee!" She reached out to her younger brother in a bid for help, her smile a mile wide.

Apparently switching sides without a second thought, as five-year-olds tended to do, Tai squealed in laughter and dove forward to save his sister from the evil tickling hands of the tickle monster. "I'll save you Iz!" Before he could exact his rescue attempt, however, something behind his mother diverted his attention briefly and his golden eyes widened. He opened his mouth to alert his mom and sister, but then a clawed finger rose to press against a pair of grinning lips in the universal sign to stay quiet, and Tai grinned back with badly muffled snicker as he nodded.

While the unknown fourth member of the house stealthily made his way toward them, creeping behind his wife who was none the wiser, Tai made a valiant attempt to recuse his sister from the evil clutches of merciless tickling but it wasn't long at all before he was suddenly in the same boat, Kagome having pinned them both down and was rendering her children breathless with tickles and kisses alike.

Feeling a little winded herself, Kagome scooped up a child in each arm and stood up, torturing them with raspberries blown into their cheeks and even more kisses that they tried to twist away from, giggling as they pushed against her and squirmed to be set free.

Managing to wriggle enough where her grip was loosened, Tai slipped from her arm and landed with a soft grunt on the floor. With a flushed face and bright amber eyes, he pushed himself to his feet, turned around, and grinned wide enough to show his tiny fangs.

"Mommy!" he suddenly gasped and Kagome paused her ear torture on her daughter to lift her gaze to her son. "There's a monster!"

Laughing, Kagome finally allowed her daughter to squirm free and propped one hand on her hip while the other attempted to put her hair back into some semblance of order. "Oh, is that so? Alright, well where is this monster?" she asked and wondered at the matching grins her children wore as they exchanged a knowing look.

"Behind you," a voice suddenly growled in her ear and before Kagome could even drawn in a gasp a strong arm snacked around her waist and abruptly hoisted her up onto a broad shoulder.

"Gotcha now," Inuyasha boasted and shamelessly squeezed her ass with a triumphant grin.

"Gaahh!" Kagome cried, and then laughed as she braced her hands on her husband's back and hefted herself up to look over her shoulder. "Kids, help me! I'm being kidnapped!" Even as she said this she made no attempt to try and escape her current predicament, quite happy to be draped over her handsome hanyou's shoulder and really hoping they could sneak in a little alone time now that he was home early.

With twin battle cries, Inuyasha's legs suddenly had a child attached to each one and he grunted, looking down at the two clingons he called his offspring with a cocked eyebrow.

"Oi," he gruffed and effortlessly lifted one leg to try and shake his daughter off. She giggled and clung tighter to him. "Leggo." He tried the same tactic with the other one, but alas, Tai also refused to let go, his high-pitched peals of laughter ringing in their ears and throughout the house.

Inuyasha grunted and shot his wife a long-suffering look. She smiled innocently and batted her eyes at him, to which he snorted at and finally giving in with a sigh of exasperation, even though he knew this was exactly what they'd wanted, the half-demon indulged his kids by walking around the living room a few times, pretended like their added weight hindered him greatly by lifting each leg high and probably looking quite ridiculous as he paraded around the room, but not really caring. They were having fun, and that's all that mattered to him.

Eventually his nice smelling wife still draped over his shoulder twisted around to whisper in his ear and Inuyasha abruptly stopped, much to the young half-demons' chagrin. "Alright, runts," he said and faked a groan. "Your old man's done. You both weigh a ton."

"Do not!" two young voices chorused but they obediently relinquished their hold and instead if standing, simply rolled away on the floor and, for whatever reason, wiggled around.

Inuyasha stared at his children and shook his head. He should be used to this by now, he really should. "Alright, fine, but I'm still old, so do me a solid and grab the bag outta my truck. There's something for you both in there."

It worked like a charm; instantly his son and daughter shot up at the promise of a gift and zoomed out the door.

Immensely proud of himself for thinking ahead, Inuyasha dragged Kagome into his arms and smiled roguishly down at her. "Fancy meetin' you here," he said and was rewarded with a quiet snort and a bright smile.

Slipping her arms around his neck, Kagome hummed and leaned up to kiss his chin. "What's in the bag?" she asked, curious despite herself, and eyed her husband's lips, realizing he hadn't kissed her hello yet.

"Video game for Tai and some princess thing Izayoi wanted," Inuyasha answered and brushed his lips against hers, a teasing caress that only left her wanting more.

"Hmmm." Smiling, Kagome twined her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and breathed, "Any reason for the spontaneous gifts?"

"I can't spoil my kids?" His lips fluttered over her face, kissing her nose, cheeks and forehead but avoiding her mouth, much to her frustration, and the sly curl to his lips suggested it was intentional. The _tease_.

"How about you spoil your _wife?_ " Kagome purred and pulled herself up enough to nibble along his jaw, darkened slightly with scruff that never failed to drive her crazy.

"Yeah?" he husked, vaguely aware of twin cries of excitement coming from outside, but paying them no mind, his attention centered on the woman in his arms who was making it very clear what she wanted. Still he held off, finding himself enjoying this little game of theirs. "How would I go about doing that?"

A small frown wrinkled her brow and she huffed, shooting him a narrow-eyed stare that told him she knew exactly what he was doing.

His grin was unrepentant, honeyed eyes bright and dancing with amusement.

"Inuyasha," she said somewhat sternly and tugged gently at his hair, a not so subtle reminder to get _on_ with it.

"What, Kagome?" Inuyasha replied, feigning innocence, and he received a sharp nip to his chin for his troubles. He chuckled.

Dark eyes gazed moodily up at him and an adorable pout crossed her features. He waited, lips poised over hers, ready to give that which she so craved.

"Kiss your wife, goddammit."

Amber eyes gleamed in silent victory right before he closed the scant distance between them and covered his wife's pouty lips with his in a long, passionate kiss that promptly erased all of her previous irritation and replaced it with warm pleasure and powerful love for her amazing, thoughtful, and hunk of a hanyou husband.


	19. Superstitions

**Spooktober Day 19**

 **Superstitions**

"If I recall, _you're_ the one who wanted to have this party, not me, so why am _I_ the one stuck running all over hell getting everything _you_ need?"

" _Because you're the best husband in the history of ever?"_

A snort. "Try again."

" _In my defense, you didn't say I_ couldn't _have the party, sooo really, this falls back on you, dogboy."_

" _Falls back on_ —last I knew, it takes _two_ people to have a discussion, not just one sneaky wench that randomly decided to significantly increase the electricity bill with all these fucking obnoxious decorations and constantly chase me outta the kitchen when all I want is some damned ramen."

" _Well clearly we know who wears the pants in_ this _relationship."_

"God, you're such a pain in my ass."

" _Mmm, but you love me anyway."_

Groaning aloud while his cheeky little wife cackled merrily on the other end of the line, Inuyasha adjusted the grip he had on the large box under his arm and transferred the heavy bag of various Halloween decorations to his other hand while he watched his son skip ahead of him on the sidewalk. Tai had wanted to go with him and Kagome said it was a good idea anyway so he wouldn't be constantly underfoot while she was baking. With Izayoi hanging out with Rin and friends somewhere, she could put her entire focus into the task at hand without worry about little people's needs.

"Just do me a favor and don't burn down the house while I'm gone," Inuyasha said dryly as Tai hopped about in front of him while saying something under his breath. "I gotta run to work for a bit but it shouldn't take long, an hour tops."

" _Ye of little faith,"_ Kagome teased and his lips quirked upward slightly. _"I'll have you know I have everything under control—oh no, my cookies!"_

"Goddammit Kago—"

" _I'm kidding!"_ his wife said, laughing as Inuyasha released groan number two. _"It's fine, babe. I'll save you some pumpkin cookies and a cupcake."_

"I want one, too!" Tai announced without looking back, clearly having heard his mother over the phone.

"Tai wants one too," Inuyasha relayed and Kagome laughed. The promise of tasty treats confirmed, the two said their goodbyes and without stopping his stride the half-demon took a moment to browse his messages, noting he'd gotten a text from Miroku about the party and one from Kagome that she'd just sent ten seconds ago. All it contained was a heart emoji and he smiled.

He passed by Tai, who had for some reason stopped his hopping around and was staring avidly down at the ground and without looking up Inuyasha said, "C'mon bud, you're gonna go to work with me for a bit and hang out with Nazuna while I take care of a few things. Remember her? You like her, right?"

When Tai didn't give a response and he didn't hear small feet following after him, Inuyasha paused with a frown and looked back to find that his son had completely frozen on the sidewalk. He couldn't see Tai's expression with how he had his head bowed, but his little body was shaking and that was what spurred Inuyasha into action.

Immediately concerned, Inuyasha pocketed his phone and backtracked to kneel in front of his son, carelessly setting the box and bags of decorations on the ground.

"Tai, what's the matter? Are you hurt? What happened?" Putting a hand on his frail shoulder, Inuyasha ducked his head to catch a glimpse of his face. He was not expecting to find him looking absolutely horrified as he stared down at the ground, his eyes impossibly wide and his bottom lip trembling as he held back tears.

Truly alarmed now and wondering what could have possibly caused this sudden change in behavior, Inuyasha smoothed back his bangs and tried to tilt his face up with a finger under his chin.

"Hey, bud," he murmured and managed to get his son to lift his face enough to gaze into eyes identical to his own and awash with unshed tears. "What's the matter? Nazuna's not _that_ bad, is she? I thought you liked her."

Despite his attempt to get him to smile, Tai's expression didn't change, however he _did_ manage to get a response from him.

" _M-M-Mamaaaa_ ," he whimpered as the tears fell down his cheeks.

Inuyasha frowned. "What about your mom? We'll only be gone an hour, Tai, then we can—"

" _I b-b-broke her b-baaaaaaack!"_ Tai wailed and then abruptly dissolved into sobs right there in the middle of the sidewalk, heedless of the passersby that were giving them various looks of concern and annoyance.

Inuyasha reeled back and gave his son a puzzled look.

"You—what?" he asked. Why the hell did he think _that?_

Tai didn't answer and continued to sob, tears running unchecked down his face, his little ears wilted on top of his head as he called out for his mother.

Reacting to his son's distress, Inuyasha's own ears flattened and he winced, gathering his boy close and holding him as tiny hands clung to his jacket. He had no idea why he suddenly thought he broke Kagome's back, and his gentle inquiries about it went ignored. Or maybe he was too upset to answer, but in any case, Inuyasha needed to get to the bottom of this.

Sighing, Inuyasha rubbed his back and tried to calm him down enough so he could get an eligible answer out of the boy, but when Tai just shook his head and called and managed to say something about a crack through his tears, it suddenly clicked.

Inuyasha blinked and dropped his gaze down to the pavement below their feet. The _cracked_ pavement.

" _Step on the crack and you'll break your mother's back."_

Inuyasha wanted to laugh as relief flooded him and he released a little chuckle as he shook his head. Oblivious to his father's realization, Tai continued to cry for his mother and thinking they'd drawn enough attention already, the older half-demon decided it was time to put a stop to that.

"Alright," he soothed, using is jacket sleeve to wipe the child's wet cheeks and simultaneously gain his attention. "C'mon, calm down. That's enough, Tai. Stop crying."

At the gentle reprimand, recognizing the faint stern tone of his father's voice, Tai took a few deep, stuttering breaths and controlled his sobs to sniffling and hiccoughs. His little nose was red, his eyes were still wide and shining with tears as Inuyasha produced a tissue out of nowhere – Parent Tip #541, never leave home without them – and prompted him to blow his nose.

"Your mom is fine," Inuyasha promised as Tai obediently blew his nose into the tissue. "You didn't break her back. Was all this because of that old saying where you step on a crack and break your mom's back? Is that what this is about?"

Sniffling and giving sucking in a shaky breath, Tai nodded wordlessly, lifting a hand and scrubbing at his eyes.

Inuyasha shook his head. "That's just a superstition, Tai. Something that was made up a long time ago by some whackjob with nothing better to do. It's not real, and I promise your mom is fine and her back isn't broken."

Tai sniffled and still looked unconvinced, so with a sigh Inuyasha gathered his son into his arms and retrieved his cell from his pocket once again.

"You wanna talk to her and see for yourself?" he asked as he brought up Kagome's number.

Cradled in his dad's arm, Tai stuck his thumb in his mouth and nodded.

While waiting for his wife to answer, Inuyasha put the phone on speaker and managed to balance the kid in his arms as he collected the bags and box off the ground, keeping a firm grasp on the mobile.

It went to voicemail and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Of course the one time she didn't answer he needed her to so Tai didn't believe she was really incapacitated.

And speaking of, his son turned big gold eyes his way, once more awash with unshed tears and suddenly Inuyasha understood why Kagome was never able to tell him no. Not when he looked like that because he was just about ready to drop everything and sprint home.

Sighing, he put the phone away and kissed Tai's forehead. "S'okay, bud," he assured and started walking down the street again. "She probably just has the mixer on or something and will call back when she noticed the missed call. Trust your old man when he says Mama is perfectly fine, alright? If I could I'd take you home to see for yourself, but the thing at work can't wait anymore. I promise to be quick, though. Will you keep Nazuna company while I work?"

Inuyasha rubbed his son's ear with his free hand and although he was clearly still upset, Tai sniffled once, whimpered, and gave a single nod before tucking himself under his father's chin as a small arm wrapped around his neck.

Wishing he could do more for the distraught child in his arms, Inuyasha sighed, nuzzled Tai's head, then continued toward his truck parked on the side of the street, praying that Kagome would look at his phone and call him back.

 **-X-**

She didn't call him back and when Inuyasha went to collect his son from the company daycare fifty-two minutes after they'd arrived, Nazuna's worried face as she peered at him from over Tai's head told him everything he needed to know.

The caretaker gave him a questioning look as she transferred the tiny half-demon into his father's arms and Inuyasha grimaced before shaking his head. Nazuna frowned but nodded, then her face bloomed into a gentle smile as she leaned down and bid Tai a fond farewell, brushing back his bangs and saying she hoped to see him again soon.

Tai didn't say anything and hid his face in Inuyasha's shoulder.

Inuyasha shrugged helplessly and with an understanding smile, Nazuna walked them to the door, giving one last wave before closing the door after them.

The ride home was quiet and Inuyasha kept sneaking glances at him in the rear view mirror. He didn't even play with the toy he'd brought along with him and Inuyasha pressed his foot down on the accelerator a little harder.

When he pulled into their driveway eight minutes later Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief and wasted no time in cutting the engine, hopping out, and getting Tai out of his booster seat. He'd get the decorations later; right now his son was more important.

"Okay, buddy," Inuyasha murmured as he gathered his son into his arms and walked toward the side entrance that led to the mudroom. "Let's go get those cupcakes your mom promised us, yeah?"

Hopping the three steps, he entered his home and even through the door that led into the kitchen Inuyasha could smell that his wife had been very busy while he was gone. Tai must have noticed the scents of chocolate, pumpkin, and his mother too because his nose started twitching and he lifted his head.

With a tiny grin, Inuyasha opened the way into their kitchen and Tai spotted her the exact moment she turned around, brown eyes bright and a big smile on her face.

"My boys!" she greeted as Inuyasha set their desperately squirming son down. "You're just in time, I have some yummy treats—"

" _ **Mama!"**_

Faster than a blink Tai hurled himself at Kagome with such force she stumbled back with a startled gasp. Clinging to her legs and crying into the fabric of her jeans, Tai's grip was vice-like as he sobbed over and over that he thought he broke her back and how glad he was that she was okay.

Utterly perplexed but more concerned at their son's behavior, Kagome shot Inuyasha a wide-eyed look of complete befuddlement but when he just shook his head and mouthed "later," she nodded and knelt down to console her five-year-old.

"Hey," Kagome cooed, coaxing her son to release her legs and wrap his small arms around her neck inside. "Shh, it's okay, baby. I'm okay, see? Nothing's broken, I'm aright, I promise..."

Kagome picked him up and cuddled him, rocking him in her arms, murmuring to him quietly and rubbing a downy soft ear in his fingers in an attempt to soothe. It worked, because Tai finally settled down to sniffles and quiet whimpers, clinging to his mother for dear life and refusing to let go.

"Y-you're really okay?" he asked, tilting his face up and gazing up at her with liquid amber eyes.

Kagome smiling lovingly down at him and pressed her lips to his forehead, then his runny nose. "Yes, baby, I'm okay. I don't think I'd be able to pick you up if I weren't! Oof, Tai, you gotta lay off the ramen. Your mom's a weak little human compared to my strong half-demons!"

As she'd hoped, that managed to get a little giggle out of her son and both parents relaxed at the sound.

Confident their boy was going to be okay now, Inuyasha left to retrieve the bags from the truck while Kagome wandered over to the kitchen counter with Tai in her arms.

"I don't know about you, but I can definitely go for a yummy chocolate cupcake and whaddaya know, I saved the biggest one for my big boy!"

Outside, Inuyasha had just shut the truck door with bags in his hand and box under his arm when he turned to find a black cat calmly sitting at the end of his driveway, staring at him with big yellow eyes.

Inuyasha froze. The cat blinked slowly at him, yawned, then stretched languorously before leisurely strolling away, thin black tail raised high and swaying back and forth as it disappeared into the neighbor's yard.

Inuyasha watched it go, sighed heavily, then tipped his head back to glare up at the overcast sky.

"That's _not_ funny."


	20. Mask

I honestly could not think of anything else go on so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **Spooktober Day 20**

 **Mask**

"Hullo?"

Tucking the cordless between his shoulder and head, Inuyasha leaned back against the bar counter and crossed his ankles as he tucked into his freshly made, steaming cup of ramen.

" _Rin's award ceremony is tonight,"_ his brother said by way of greeting, his voice its usual monotone.

Inuyasha blinked and looked at the mini calendar on the fridge. "Shit, that's to—?"

" _You will be there."_ Sesshomaru's tone brooked no room for argument, his words a demand, not a request.

The half-demon frowned. "Well—"

" _Seven pm at the middle school. Dress accordingly,"_ his half-brother once more interrupted him, using that bizarre ability he had to sound bored and commanding at the same time.

Inuyasha scowled that time and stood up a little straighter. "Wait just a damn—"

" _Do not be late."_

The half-demon cursed a blue streak into the phone and when he got no reply from his bastard of a brother, Inuyasha realized the prick hung up on him. Scowling he placed the receiver in its charging dock just as Kagome wandered into the kitchen wearing comfy lounge clothes consisting of sweats and one of his old t-shirts.

"Who was that?" she asked as she sidled up to him and stole the bite of ramen from his chopsticks for herself.

"The bastard," he answered, still glaring at the innocent device sitting in its cradle. "He wanted to _kindly_ remind us of Rin's award ceremony tonight at seven."

Kagome blinked and then winced. "Oh crap. That's tonight?"

Her husband snorted in reply and allowed his wife to take another bite of his ramen before shoving some noodles into his own mouth.

After swallowing her mouthful, Kagome sighed and wrinkled her nose, glancing down at her clothes in dismay. She was comfortable, dammit. She didn't _want_ to change.

Polishing off the rest of his noodles, Inuyasha echoed his wife's sigh and moved to toss the empty cup into the trash. "I'm pretty sure Miroku and Sango's three brats are getting awards too, so they can't watch Tai and Iz."

"I'll call Mama," Kagome said, resigned as she reached for the phone her husband had just put back. "I'm sure she or Souta wouldn't mind coming over for an hour or so."

"Didn't we get a letter saying that Iz got something, too?"

"Yeah," Kagome answered as she punched in the shrine's number. "She doesn't wanna go, though. Something about too much fanfare just for getting on the dean's list or something, though I think it has more to do with being scared she'll trip on the stage in front of Raiden."

Inuyasha paused and sent his wife a narrow-eyed look. "Who's Raiden?"

Kagome froze when she realized her mistake but thankfully her mother answering on the other end of the line saved her from answering her own husband so with a smile Kagome greeted her mother and promptly ignored the suspicious half-demon glaring at her from across the kitchen.

 **-X-**

Sitting in the auditorium of the middle school sandwiched between Kagome and his half-brother – not by choice – Inuyasha bit back another sigh of boredom and leaned his elbow on the armrest. Propping his chin in his hand, he gazed with an air of disinterest at who he thought was the principal blather on and on about how proud he was of the students and shit.

Of course he was proud of his niece and daughter – okay and _maybe_ Miroku and Sango's brood – but all the other brats? Pfft.

Beside him Kagome was in similar straits, looking like she was having a hard time staying awake as she stifled yet another yawn and blinked rapidly. Beside her Sango looked like she was lost in a daydream and one seat over Miroku was scrolling through his phone, completely ignoring the principal's speech.

On the other hand – a very distant hand – Sesshomaru was unsurprisingly looking immaculate as ever, not a hair out of place, tailored suit sharp and without a single wrinkle. His face gave nothing away as he gazed steadily at the man at the podium, amber eyes clear and alert. Kagura was chatting to the woman beside her in hushed tones, ignoring everyone.

Withholding a groan, Inuyasha slumped a little in his seat and had no qualms about hiding the tongue-curling yawn that escaped like his wife had. Beside him Sesshomaru shot him a look full of warning but it went ignored.

 _Your fault for dragging me here, asshole_ , he thought petulantly and refrained from flipping him off.

Thankfully there was only another few minutes passed of man's boring drone before the awards were finally being handed out. Unfortunately, though, since Miroku's kids _and_ Rin both had surnames that started with T, they had to sit thorough more than half of the students receiving their awards as the announcer went through the alphabet letter by letter.

Inuyasha more or less tuned them out, only half-listening so he was aware when the T's would begin, however when a vaguely familiar name was called – "Mashimo, Raiden" – he half-demon's back straightened and he whipped his head around with sudden avid interest.

Raiden...wasn't that the name Kagome had mentioned before they left? Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha waited, eager to see the brat that had captured his babygirl's attention, but when no student stood up after several more seconds, the announcer continued on to the next and Inuyasha realized he must be a no show.

He grumbled in disappointment. Now he really wanted to know who this punk was and why he was the reason she didn't want to attend tonight. Was he a bully? Would he laugh at her? Inuyasha growled, but at Kagome's light jab to his ribs, he stopped and back with a huff. He'd have to grill Kagome later on who this brat was later but for now, he'd wait and give Rin the support she deserved.

Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity – which in reality was only about twenty minutes – Rin was next to be called up. Each parent had been given a pamphlet as they had entered the spacious room which listed each student getting an award for what it was for so they'd been able to follow along. Izayoi's name had an asterisk next to it since they'd called ahead and said she wouldn't be attending.

"Taisho, Rin," the announcer spoke into the mic – Inuyasha thought it might be the dean – and from the two front rows where the students were sitting, Rin popped up from her seat and scurried over to the stairs that led to the stage.

Sesshomaru straightened in his seat as Kagura stopped her chat with the woman and put her full focus on her daughter with a proud smile. Kagome likewise sat up straighter and brought up her camera app to take a few photos.

Despite himself Inuyasha had to smile as Rin flounced across the stage, looking equal parts adorable and pretty in her floral print dress with her dark hair all bunched up on top of her head. The smile on her face was huge and the flush coloring her cheeks was from genuine pleasure as she accepted her award. She shook both the principal and dean's hand and bowed as the auditorium erupted in polite applause. When she straightened she looked directly at her family, beamed proudly, and blew them a kiss with a little wave.

Chuckling – he loved his niece's cheek – Inuyasha stole a glance at his half-brother beside him, expecting him to look the same as ever with his stoic mask in place and cold amber eyes devoid of emotion like a fuckin' robot.

What he saw, however, took him aback and he had to physically bite his tongue so he didn't blurt out a very loud, "What the fuck?"

Beside him, Sesshomaru was actually _smiling_. Oh, it was small, barely noticeable, but Inuyasha saw it clear as day. His careful mask of casual indifference had cracked, allowing a bit of warmth to seep through and his amber eyes held a hint of affection as he gazed at his daughter on the stage.

Inuyasha gaped.

And seeming to notice that his mask had slipped after a fleeting glance his brother's way, Sesshomaru's back stiffened and in a blink his face was perfectly composed once more, the smile nonexistent and his eyes holding neither warmth nor affection as he passively watched Rin skip across the stage toward the stairs to rejoin her fellow students.

Inuyasha jabbed an accusing finger at his face and blurted, "I saw that."

Sesshomaru's jaw tightened a miniscule amount as he hissed through his teeth, "Silence, you idiot."

"I _saw_ it," he insisted as a slow, gloating grin started curling the corners of Inuyasha's mouth upward.

The silver-haired dog demon did not deign to comment and instead pegged him with a cold glare designed to shut him up and _pay attention_.

Grinning broadly now because he _knew_ what he saw, Inuyasha obliged and said nothing more, though he didn't need to. The sly glances and knowing smirks he sent his brother were _more_ than enough and judging by Sesshomaru's look of increasing aggravation, he was well aware of his foolish half-brother's childish antics.

When at last the final student was called and the dean, with the principal's help, ended the ceremony with a heartfelt speech about the future, success, and blah blah blah, parents and students alike stood to their feet and then it was mild chaos as they reunited.

Faster than a blink Sesshomaru stood up from his seat and hastily ushered Kagura down the aisle before Inuyasha could even think about teasing him some more. It was no matter, though. He knew what he saw, knew that _Sesshomaru_ knew that he knew, and that was enough for him.

Inuyasha felt like cackling in victory but instead he helped Kagome up from her seat and after congratulating the Tsujitani brood on their awards, they exited the building, following the hoard of other humans and demons heading toward the double doors.

Once outside in the fresh air, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and tugged her sweater a little closer to her body. She wasn't surprised when warmth settled on her shoulders and she smiled her thanks at her husband, grasping his jacket and hunching down into it. Mmm, it smelled like his Boss cologne. Nice.

"So what were you needling Sesshomaru about earlier?" she asked as they headed toward Inuyasha's truck. She spotted Rin along with Sesshomaru and Kagura by their own car and waved, making a mental note to call tomorrow and congratulate her niece since she hadn't gotten the chance to tonight.

"I wasn't _needling_ ," Inuyasha protested as he unlocked the doors and walked around to the driver's side.

Closing the door, Kagome shot her husband a dry look and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, however he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from quirking up into a tiny grin as he started the truck and headed out of the parking lot.

"Let's just say," he began, navigating out onto the street and toward home, "that Sesshomaru's _mask_ isn't as tough as he thinks it is."

"What?"

"Nothing. So, wench. About this Raiden brat..."


	21. Ghosts

Something fluffy and cute with a humorous twist at the end that may or may not make you guys want to kill me HAHAHA *gets bricked* okay sorry enjoy the spook -3-

 **Spooktober Day 21**

 **Ghosts**

Small feet pitter-pattered down the carpeted hallway, leaving wet footprints and a trail of dripping water in his wake. He was silent, stealthy, a ninja on a secret mission. A _top-secret_ mission. And it was very, very dangerous; if he was caught, who _knew_ how long it would be until he was able to try again? He _had_ to succeed; failure was definitely not an option and nothing would stand in his way of his coveted spoils! Not even Mama and Dad—er, the, um, protectors—The Protectors Of The Treasure. Yeah, not even _they_ would stop him!

Snickering, the secret stealthy ninja, clad in nothing but his birthday suit, whispered down the stairs to the first floor where his bounty was sure to be. He'd already checked the Protectors' dwelling; it wasn't in there like it was last year so that left only one other place and his heat pounded with definitely not fear, but the thrill of the hunt. He knew one of the Protectors – the bigger, stronger one – would be inside, guarding the spoils, so he'd have to be very careful.

Peeking around the corner, the small silver-haired ninja surveyed his surroundings, looking for traps or any signs of The Evil Ugly Princess that was also after his treasure. He pouted slightly; his stupid sis—er, he meant the stupid Ugly Princess found it first last year and wouldn't share with him. So this time _he_ was going to find it first and not share with _her_.

Nodding resolutely, the stealthy ninja flicked his ears and after he was satisfied there was no danger, he tiptoed down the hallway, heedless of the trail of water he left on the hardwood floor. Almost there...he was going to make it! Sensing victory, the little ninja grinned in victory and peered around the doorjamb—

He gasped and hastily jerked back. Drats! Both of the protectors were guarding his spoils! He had to think fast; he didn't have much time before he was discovered! If only he were invisible, undetected, then he'd be able to sneak right by them and gain that which he desired. If only...if only...

Golden eyes blinked as they wandered down the hallway toward a certain room in particular, a room where the small, weaker Protector washed his clothes and the ninja liked to watch the through the window as his clothes went round and round and round...

Shaking his head, the tiny figure huffed and narrowed his eyes determinedly as a sly little grin curled his lips, an idea forming in his mind. It was genius; he'd never be detected! Withholding a cackle of victory, the naked ninja crawled down the hallway and disappeared into the room that smelled like fresh linen and fabric softener.

"I'm goin' ghost," he whispered to himself, quoting ones of his favorite cartoons and snickering as he reached inside the big drying box for what he needed.

 **-X-**

Humming softly under her breath as her sock-clad feet padded silently down the hallway, Kagome glided into her husband's office where the hanyou himself sat at his desk, poring over paperwork and glaring at his computer screen behind the reading glasses he only ever used when working from home.

Smiling, Kagome wordlessly ambled over and set a fresh cup of coffee in one of the clear spots on his desk. She reached over, gently grabbed an ear to give it an affectionate rub, then bent down to place a soft kiss between ears before moving away, leaving him to his work.

His ear flicked and amber eyes darted up to watch his wife's retreat.

"Hey," he rumbled and reached out, snagging her wrist and reeling her back in before she could get away. "Where d'ya think you're goin'?"

Sitting back in his chair, Inuyasha dragged his wife into his lap and trapped her in his arms, locking his hands at the small of her back while her arms snaked around his neck.

"Where're the kiddos?"

"Izayoi's finishing up some homework in the living room and Tai's taking a bath," Kagome answered, idly playing with the hair at the back of his neck. With both of them busy and the house quiet, I _was_ gonna go grade some tests..."

"Nah," he replied and kissed her nose. "You're stayin' here right here and saving me from all this boring paperwork from hell."

Kagome hummed. "I dunno..." she said, dragging the word out with an impish smile. "There's not much that can beat the thrill of writing a big, fat A-plus and a smiley face in red ink on all those spelling and vocab exams, the pen gliding smoothly across the paper and I even get to use my _special_ stickers, the glittery ones."

"Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me." He snuck in a kiss, grinning cheekily against her lips.

"Just wait until I start grading the math tests," Kagome snickered, stealing her own kiss. "You won't be able to resist me."

"Woman," he grunted as his hands lowered to somewhere decidedly less innocent. "What makes you think I can resist you now?"

"Well if you _were_ , I certainly wouldn't be sitting here _now_ , would I?" Kagome murmured and them gasped when clawed hands abruptly landed on her ass and squeezed.

"You _cad_ ," Kagome whispered and nibbled his lip. " _Scandalous_."

"Punish me, teacher," Inuyasha whispered and then abruptly the two of them lost their composure, sniggering quietly together and simply reveling in the moment, the peacefulness, and their endless love.

Exchanging sweet kisses and whispered endearments, the two were content to ignore everything else around them and Inuyasha was just about to suggest they sneak upstairs for a quickie when something in his peripheral caught his attention and he cast a fleeting glance toward his desk.

And promptly did a double take, his eyebrows shooting up into the fringe of his silver bangs in a mixture of amusement and disbelief. What the...

"Uh, Kagome," he queried, lips twitching as he watched the bottom drawer of his desk slid open, apparently, by its own accord. "You seein' what I'm seein'?"

"Hm?" Leaning back, Kagome blinked at her husband before following his gaze—and watched in avid amusement, eyebrows rising high, as a ghost reached into the desk drawer and discovered the big bag of Halloween candy she'd hidden there last week.

"If you're talking about the bag of candy floating into the air by itself and drifting toward the doorway," his wife said dryly, fighting to hold back the smile from her face, "then yes, I certainly do."

"Huh," Inuyasha mused as the "ghost" snickered beneath its borrowed floral print bed sheet and skittered away with its stolen goods, triumphant. "Never knew we lived in a haunted house."

"Me either," Kagome remarked.

She looked at him, he looked at her, and twin smiles bloomed cross their faces. Kagome giggled while Inuyasha shook his head. Looks like they'd have to find a better hiding place from now on. Brat probably sniffed it out, the little rascal.

Sighing, Kagome reluctantly slid off her husband's lap and kissed his cheek.

"I'd better go find him before he makes himself sick," she said with an indulgent smile and wasn't surprised when Inuyasha reeled her in for one last kiss. She hummed against his lips, kissed him once more, and then finally forced herself to back away. Damn, her hubby was dangerous.

The doorbell rang and Inuyasha got to his feet.

"I might as well get that," he said and followed his wife out of his office, darting forward to smack her butt as she sashayed away. Kagome snickered and looked over her shoulder to wink at him before scurrying away to find their son and the compromised bag of candy.

Chuckling, wondering how he could ever be so lucky to have such a loving wife and amazing – if at times _mischievous_ kids – Inuyasha headed toward the front door. It was just after six pm, so it was probably a salesman or more than likely Miroku coming over to bother him.

Ah, well; if it was his friend and neighbor, he could definitely use the distraction. Better him than endless, boring paperwork; he was the lesser of the two evils in this case.

Inuyasha snorted at his own thoughts and swung open the door.

He found himself staring into familiar, very wide toffee-colored eyes and he watched in dawning horror as the visitor's face went white as a ghost.

"Oh my god."

The apple pie they were holding fell from suddenly nerveless fingers and Inuyasha's fast reflexes were the only things that saved it from splattering onto their porch.

"Holy _shit."_

Ten very awkward-filled minutes later, Inuyasha closed the door, still holding the pie in his hand, and turned around to find Kagome heading down the stairs with their sheet-wrapped "ghost" in her arms. Chocolate was smeared around his mouth but it looked like she caught him before he could indulge too much, thankfully.

His muscles felt stiff as he shuffled over to the bar counter to set down the dessert before he dropped it, the state of shock he was in preventing him from hearing his wife asking who as at the door.

When Inuyasha didn't answer and stared off into space, looking a little dazed, Kagome frowned in concern and flicked a glance at the pie sitting on their counter.

"Inuyasha? Who was at the door?" she asked again. "And where did the pie come from?"

From his mother's arms, Tai's eyes went wide as he ogled the dessert. Apple pie was his favorite...

"Did someone say pie?" Izayoi poked her head into foyer, blinking in curiosity.

Still when all her husband did was look between her and the pie sitting on the counter, Kagome cocked a brow. What on earth had gotten into him?

"Inuyasha...? Are you okay, or...?" Stepping closer, Kagome was just about to check to see if he had a fever – doubtful with how pale he'd gone – but Inuyasha suddenly shook his head and sucked in a breath, whatever daze he'd been in vanishing.

"Sorry," he muttered and reached into his back pocket. "I, uh, I saw a ghost."

Kagome opened her mouth. Closed it. Frowned.

"What?"

In answer Inuyasha retrieved the business card he'd been given and wordlessly held it out.

Confused and a little wary, Kagome closed the distance to take the card from his hand and scan the contents.

Her mouth dropped and her eyes widened.

"Oh my god."

 _Kikyou Hirata_ _  
Freelance Writer  
"Dare to Dream."_


	22. Full Moon

you know, you'd think because the prompts are from _Spook_ tober, you'd think i would actually make them Halloween related or not least a little spooky. but eh, whatever. my brain writes whatever the fuck it wants, i have no control over it. and in the end, these guys end up doing what they want to do, so why bother lmao.

 **Spooktober Day 22**

 **Full Moon**

" _Jesus fucking_ Christ _."_

 _Evidently recovered from the shock of seeing him again, his ex's eyebrows rose into perfectly parted bangs and a wry smile curled the corners of her lips the slightest bit._

" _Well," she said dryly, "I see you haven't changed a bit."_

" _Kikyou," Inuyasha murmured, shaking his head in a mixture of confusion and complete astonishment. "What're you…? I mean this is—but you're…how…w-why…?"_

 _Kikyou smiled then, a real smile that reached her eyes, and Inuyasha was taken aback at how familiar it was. God, she still looked the same. Just…older._

" _Still articulate as ever. You really_ haven't _changed."_

 _When all her high school flame did was continue to stare at her wit those big golden eyes she used to love gazing into, Kikyou sighed and shrugged helplessly, tucking a strand of raven hair behind her ear._

" _My being here is not intentional, if that's what you're thinking," she started and her smile turned a little sad when he winced guiltily. "Trust me, I am as shocked as you are. After graduation, I decided I wanted to travel, and so I left. Get a fresh start somewhere, a clean slate and forget about…well, everything."_

 _She shrugged again. "I didn't have a plan, no rhyme or reason to where I went. I let my heart lead me and I backpacked across Europe, spent a lot of time in Romania and Italy, and I even visited the states briefly. I went to Germany, France, Spain, ended up in India at one point, and then I went to China where I met my husband in Hong Kong. We lived there for ten years, and then decided to move back to Japan just last year. We've been in Kyoto, but when I saw a house for sale in my—_ our _old neighborhood, well…"_

 _Kikyou trailed off and Inuyasha nodded. He understood, but he also couldn't help but wonder if she came back because part of her wanted to mend some bridges, or just if this is where she grew up and had familial ties here._

" _You're married," Inuyasha stated for lack of anything better to say._

 _She smiled again. "For eight years. Suikotsu's a cardiologist and he just got a job at the hospital downtown. I'm a freelance writer and we're very happy together."_

 _Inuyasha released a breath. "That's great, Kikyou," he said, and he meant it. He truly was happy that his old high school flame had found happiness._

 _Kikyou nodded and then hesitated a little before she hedged, "So…you and Kagome…"_

 _Not really surprised, Inuyasha's expression softened and a hint of a smile teased the corners of his lips._

" _Yeah," he murmured. "Me and Kagome. Fourteen years last month."_

 _Her smile was small, but genuine. "Kids?"_

" _Two. Izayoi's twelve and Tai is five."_

 _Her eyes widened a little at the names and she dropped her head, avoiding his gaze. Immediately Inuyasha felt like an asshole and he winced, lifting his free hand to rack his claws through his hair. Fuck, but he had to say_ something _._

" _Kikyou—"_

" _Don't," she gently cut him off, lifting a hand as she locked gazes with him again, and her smile let him know that all was well. "Please. We can talk another time, Inuyasha, about everything. But for now I just came over to build some friendships with my neighbors and gift them with a homemade apple pie to start things on a good note."_

 _Relieved, but still feeling a little anxious, Inuyasha released a breath and gave a strained smile._

" _Smells good," he offered and was rewarded with her light laugh._

" _Thank you," she said sincerely and dug in her pocket for something before holding it out. "My personal number is on the back. Maybe...we can schedule something and catch up? All three of us?"_

 _Taking the business card between two fingers, Inuyasha decided that he didn't mind that idea so much and he nodded._

" _Yeah," he murmured. "I'll...talk it over with Kagome."_

 _Satisfied, Kikyou nodded and said softly, "It was nice seeing you, Inuyasha."_

 _Inuyasha's throat tightened and he managed to rasp out, "You...you too, Kikyou. Take care."_

 _With one last smile, Kikyou turned and walked down the porch steps, as graceful as ever. She waved when she reached the end of the pathway and Inuyasha watched her disappear down the street._

Donned in an oversized sweatshirt and her favorite pair of leggings, Kagome quietly slipped out onto the deck and slid the door closed behind her. It was just after nine, the kids were tucked in bed, and her husband had been in the same spot for the past two hours since he'd gone out here after Kikyou left.

Leaning back against the railing, arms crossed as he stared up at the full moon in the night sky, Inuyasha tracked his wife's approach across the desk and when she was close enough he dropped his arms and wordlessly opened them. A second later slim arms wrapped around his waist as she settled against him and he wrapped his own around her in return, sighing as he buried his face in her hair and held her close. His wife kissed his chest and rested her head above his heart, content to be held.

"You know," he rumbled a few moments later, breaking the peaceful quiet, "the night that we met, there was a full moon."

Kagome smiled. "Really? You remember that?"

"What, you don't?" he teased her and got a huff in response. Chuckling, he continued, "I remember because I liked the way the moonlight reflected off your hair. You mesmerized me from day one, you know."

"Back atcha, dogboy," Kagome returned, resting her chin on his chest so she could gaze up at him with a fond smile.

Inuyasha smiled down at her and played with a strand of her hair. "Our first date was on a full moon, and so was our first kiss."

"Isn't it usually the wife that remembers all of this, and not the husband?" Kagome's eyes flashed impishly up at him, but her smile was genuine and warm.

He shrugged, unrepentant. "Can't help it. You made me soft, woman."

"No, I just bring out the best in you."

"Like I bring out the worst in you?"

"A match made in heaven."

"Fucking soulmates."

Kagome dissolved into giggles while Inuyasha buried his face in her hair again and laughed quietly along with her. God, he loved this woman so much.

"I proposed to you on a full moon," Inuyasha continued a moment later, his arms tightening around her. "We got married on a full moon. And Izayoi was born on October twenty-eighth, at 12:01 AM. A full moon."

When he leaned away he found his wife already staring at him, her gorgeous eyes holding all the love she felt for him and a trembling, loving smile on her lips. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip and swallowed thickly when she kissed it.

"For as long as I can remember, the full moon has been a constant in our lives, marking important memories, and I'm grateful because it means whenever I look up at it, I'm reminded of all the wonderful things that has happened in our time together."

Inuyasha sighed, and his smile was a little bitter as he tucked a stand of hair behind her ear.

"So knowing all that...it only makes sense that she'd come back into our lives on a full moon."

Kagome's face gentled in understanding and she reached up to snag an ear between her fingers, rubbing the sensitive flesh between her fingers.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" she asked softly. Either way she would support her husband; she had come to terms with her feels about Inuyasha's old flame long ago, and now years later, she harbored no ill will toward her.

Inuyasha studied her silently for a moment, amber eyes glowing in the moonlight, and then he smiled.

"She's married," he said suddenly, once more idly playing with a lock of raven hair. "Met him in China while she was traveling all over the place. He's a cardiologist at the hospital downtown and they're happy."

Kagome's eyes brightened and she smiled. "That's good to hear."

"It is," he agreed, "but now's not the time to talk about old girlfriends. We can plan to meet up later and talk, if you want, but right now the full moon is calling to me and who the hell am I to not answer?"

That said, Inuyasha bent his knees, caught Kagome under her thighs, and swiftly lifted her up against him. Automatically her legs wrapped around his waist as her arms draped over his shoulders, the smile on her face equal parts very pleased and understanding.

"Oh?" Kagome purred and tilted her head back with a sigh as her husband's mouth dropped to her neck. "And what is it telling you?"

Growling in approval as his beautiful wife's scent deepened and took on a heady edge that near drove him mad with desire, Inuyasha trailed a path of hot kisses to her mouth where upon he stole it in a hot, passionate kiss. Kagome eagerly returned it and the next several moments were spent in heated pleasure, little gasps and quiet growls echoing in the night.

"It's telling me," Inuyasha growled against her lips when he finally allowed her to breathe, "that it's time to create a new memory, one that's just as unforgettable as all the rest."

Kagome's breath hitched as her hands dove into his hair, lips trembling as she breathed, "Inuyasha..."

Claiming her lips in another kiss and not pulling back until she was breathless and flushed in his arms, Inuyasha strode purposely toward the sliding doors and barely took the time to slide them shut again before leaping up the stairs. Kagome was already tugging on his shirt when he finally made it to their room and his husky chuckle was abruptly cut off as the door swung shut.

It was unclear if they managed to make it to the bed or not, but one thing _was_ for certain: under the light of the smiling full moon, a seed for forgiveness was planted, love was made, and a new life was created.


	23. Costumes

**Spooktober Day 23**

 **Costumes**

The second the automatic doors slid open to admit them into the store, Tai took off with a childish squeal of delight, immediately disappearing within what seemed to be the endless racks filled with Halloween costumes.

Laughing at her excitable son, Kagome grabbed a cart and followed after him at a more leisurely pace as Izayoi trailed behind, her enthusiasm less than that of her brother's. Unsurprisingly the Halloween store that popped up every year around this time was hopping with activity, children, teens, and adults alike roaming about looking at decorations, costumes, and all sorts of fun, spooky things to really get into the Halloween spirit.

Unfortunately, Izayoi's spirit was nowhere to be found that day as she silently followed her mother and brother throughout the store. Or more like she followed her mom as _she_ followed _Tai_ ; the five-year-old was having the time of his life trying on masks, exclaiming over every single cool costume he found, and announcing he found what he wanted to be but then changing his mind a second later as something else grabbed his attention.

Pausing next to a rack that held an assortment of brightly colored masks and accessories, Izayoi sighed as she plucked a headband with black cat ears attached to them. Her own ears twitched as she studied the faux appendages with an air of boredom before heaving another sigh and putting them back.

It wasn't fair. She would have thought by that now that she'd at least have _some_ idea of what she wanted to be, but because she had no idea what Raiden was going to be, Izayoi in turn didn't know what to base her own costume on. After Rin had slyly coordinated her costume to match with Kohaku's – Sally to his Jack – the young hanyou had gotten the idea to find out what her crush's was going to be so she could sneakily do the same.

Thing was, though, either Raiden was being very tight lipped about it at school, or he simply wasn't going to dress up for Halloween, because Izayoi hadn't heard a single thing about it despite the month already being half over. And it wasn't like she could just outright _ask_ him.

 _Oh, yeah,_ she thought sarcastically, rolling her eyes. _That'd go_ real _well._ _'Hi Raiden! So I was just wondering, what're you gonna be for Halloween this year so I can base my costume on yours and then I can pretend that it's a complete coincidence that we match, oh wow, isn't that just so_ convenient _, EL OH EL.'_

Izayoi snorted at her own thoughts and scowled at the innocent fake ears she'd put back as if they'd personally offended her somehow.

 _Ugh_. It wasn't _fair_.

"Hey, sweetie," her mother's voice drifted over to her and Izayoi turned her head to find her wandering over with a cart full of decorations and some kind of weird spider prop. Tai was still zooming between the racks, giggling and trying on every mask he could get his grubby little hands on.

"Find anything you like?"

Izayoi grumbled something under her breath and wrinkled her nose, ears lowering slightly on her head as she pouted and averted her gaze.

Kagome's brows rose as an amused smile flirted with her lips. "Is that a no?"

Her daughter grunted and she reminded Kagome so much of her father it was a little frightening.

Humming in thought, Kagome surveyed the rack of masks and accessories and plucked off a standard black half-mask covered in glitter.

"Your brother wants to be Batman," she remarked with a tiny grin and held the mask up to her own eyes. "How about Harley Quinn? I spotted a few different costumes back there if you wanna take a look."

Izayoi sighed and took the mask her mother held out to her. "Maybe."

Kagome frowned a little at the complete lack of interest in her daughter's tone. "You okay there, sweetpea?"

When all the young half-demon did was sigh again, Kagome was about to ask what was wrong, a little concerned at her daughter's behavior, but before she could open her mouth she heard her youngest child calling for her and it sounded like he was struggling with something. No doubt he managed to tangle himself up in another costume again so with a soft sigh, and one last worrying look toward her daughter, Kagome affectionately tweaked her ear, said to come get her if she found something, then retreated to go assist her son in whatever trouble he'd gotten himself into. Again.

Izayoi was still staring down at the boring black mask in her hand, ears low on her head and wondering if she should even bother anymore when suddenly a familiar scent teased her nose and an even more familiar voice rumbled in her ear.

"I don't really think black is your color."

Gasping, Izayoi spun around and stared into twin pools of laughing bluish-green.

"Raiden!" she said a little breathlessly, her face flushing as a shy smile flirted with the corners of her lips. "Hi! You, um, you scared me." She laughed nervously and _god_ did she sound like a complete dork.

"Sorry," the young dog demon said with a mischievous grin, shrugging. "I figured those cute ears of yours would hear me coming."

Izayoi made a strangled sound in her throat as her flush deepened and her amber eyes widened. He thought her ears were _cute!_ It's official she was going to die oh god she needed to talk to Rin _RIGHT NOW_.

Seeming oblivious to the reaction his words had caused, Raiden never lost his easy grin as his gaze dropped to the mask in her hand and deftly plucked it out of her grasp. His fingers brushed against hers and Izayoi felt a small spark of warmth that shot all the way to her toes as butterflies erupted in her belly.

"So, what're you gonna be?" he casually asked, studying the half-mask briefly before turning his gaze to the rack behind her.

Willing her racing heart to calm and her face to _stop blushing already,_ Izayoi cleared her throat and offered a shrug, half-turning to look at the rack as well.

"Oh, um, I don't know yet," she confessed, wrinkling her nose as she flicked a claw against the cheap plastic of a medieval plague doctor mask. "There's just so many options, y'know?"

She laughed nervously again but when all Raiden did was hum distractedly Izayoi winced and mentally kicked herself. God, could she _be_ any more of an awkward idiot?!

Before she could open her mouth again and either salvage her dignity by saying something incredibly smooth and cool or potentially make the situation ten times more awkward, Raiden suddenly grinned and reached behind her to exchange the half-mask for something else on the rack.

"Here," he said and set something on her head, carefully arranging it so her ears weren't compromised. "Now _this_ suits you much better."

Blinking as her face once again erupted into color, Izayoi could only stare in silence as Raiden dug out his phone and brought up the camera app before turning it around so she could get a look at herself.

"Whaddaya think?" he asked her, grinning proudly.

Izayoi gasped and lifted a hand to flutter her fingertips across the brown velvet of the steampunk top hat he'd set on her head. Complete with dark goggles attached to the front and a brown lacy ribbon wrapped around it, the young half-demon had to admit she loved the prop. The hat had little gold and silver gears sewn into the velvet on one side and the back had a trailing mesh tail that cascaded down her back. She was surprised at how _well_ it looked with her silver hair and she had to admit, Raiden definitely had good taste.

"Wow," she breathed, a delight smile spreading across her face as her amber eyes lit up. "This is...really cool. I like it!"

Proud, Raiden tipped her another grin and playfully tapped the rim of the hat.

"I have an idea," he said, drawing her attention and Izayoi lifted her gaze as he put away his phone. "Your parents are having a Halloween party at the end of the month, right?"

Izayoi blinked and tilted her head. "Yeah..."

Raiden blinked. Wow, she was cute. Shaking his head, his confident grin reappeared as he said, "I don't have any ideas for my own costume yet. Why don't we coordinate and wear matching steampunk getups? We'd be the _coolest_ couple there, hands down."

Izayoi choked because he'd just called them a _couple_ oh dear _lord_ she was going to _die_. Or maybe she already died because was this really happening? Had she died and gone to heaven where all of her dreams were coming true right before her eyes?

Realizing she was standing here like an idiot while he was waiting for an answer, Izayoi nodded her head so fast it was a wonder the hat didn't fly off her head.

"Y-yeah," she squeaked, the smile on her face wide and probably a little creepy but she couldn't help it. "That's—that's a great idea! Let's do it!"

If she sounded a little too excited, Raiden didn't notice, blue-green eyes lighting up in delight.

"Cool," he said, infinitely pleased. "Alright, sounds good. Keep me updated then. You have my number, right?"

Izayoi nodded. She didn't, but she'd force Rin to get it from Kohaku. Her birthday was coming up; maybe her parents would finally allow her to get a cellphone since she would officially be a teenager?

The dark-haired dog demon quirked another grin at her. "Good. Catch ya later, buttercup."

Then with that, Raiden winked and twirled around to rejoin his friends who had, apparently, found the Star Wars costumes and were battling it out in the middle of the store with light sabers and one of them had the Darth Vader mask on.

With a dreamy look on her face, Izayoi watched him go, her smile soft and completely smitten. She didn't even hear her mother approaching and was hardly aware of anything until the hat was suddenly taken off her head and she snapped out of her daze with a start.

Blinking and with a guilty flush, Izayoi looked up at her mother who was studying the hat in her hands with a secret smile on her lips. She glanced down at he daughter then toward the rowdy group of boys just over yonder, watching in amusement as one of them started chasing the others around with a terrifying looking spider decoration.

"Mom?" Izayoi said and Kagome turned her gaze toward her daughter, having a pretty good feeling she knew what she was going to say. The young half-demon's flush deepened slightly and her amber gaze flittered to the group of boys causing a ruckus—or more accurately, Kagome noticed, one boy in particular.

"I...know what I wanna be now," she admitted and Kagome recognized that soft smile on her face, the wondering tone in her voice reminding her of years ago when she herself had been completely smitten with one stubborn, foul-mouthed half-demon.

Face softening, Kagome smiled, genuinely happy for her daughter, and nodded as she carefully put the hat down in the cart filled with decorations and something else that was definitely _not_ a Batman costume.

"Leave it to me, sweetpea," Kagome declared, already knowing exactly what to buy to make up her daughter's costume. Steampunk, huh? She could work with that.

Izayoi smiled gratefully, glad to have such an amazing and understanding mom.

"Thanks, mom," she whispered and received a brief ear rub in response. Feeling lighter than she had in days, Izayoi grinned, surveyed the contents of the cart—and her smile promptly faded to be replaced by a horrified look as she stared at something gross and bloody.

"I thought Tai wanted to be Batman," Izayoi stated, blinking in wide-eyed horror. " _That_ is definitely _not_ Batman."

Knowing exactly what she was talking about, Kagome sighed and it was the sound of a resigned parent. She wandered toward the aisles where she thought she'd seen various steampunk costumes and accessories, gesturing for her daughter to grab the cart and tug it after her.

"So did I," Kagome murmured, flicking a glance at the child in question who was at the moment content to spin in circles wearing a Scream mask. Wrinkling her nose, she added, "The moment he saw it all ideas about being Gotham's hero flew out the window and he begged me to get that...that monstrosity. I swear to god he becomes more and more like your father everyday. It's terrifying."

Izayoi shuddered. "Boys are weird."

"Preach," Kagome mumbled and reached to take down a brown leather waist cincher. Hmm...maybe this with an off the shoulder white blouse...

"Do you have any white stockings, Iz?" Kagome asked, reaching next for something brown that might be a skirt, but she wasn't too sure. When her daughter failed to respond, Kagome looked over her shoulder and repeated, "Iz?"

Completely distracted, Izayoi was staring at a certain dark-haired dog demon that was laughing so hard at his friend he was doubled over and barely able to stand upright. The friend in question was wearing a princess costume a few sizes too small and was gallantly parading around in it, complete with a wig and tiara.

Kagome lifted a brow and drawled, "Boys are weird, huh?"

Unpredictably Izayoi flushed and her smile was gentle as she murmured, "Well...maybe not _all_ boys."


	24. Shadows

**Spooktober Day 24**

 **Shadows**

 _so when are we gonna tell em?_

Parked on the street in front of Izayoi's school, Inuyasha whiled away the time on his phone while he waited for his daughter to emerge from the building. He'd gotten out of work early enough that he'd had time to go home and change before driving the short trip to pick her up from school. Usually Kagome drove both of them home since it made more sense; Tai would either walk to her classroom after his lessons or she'd go to him, and usually Izayoi waited outside for her mom to pick her up.

This time he figured he'd save her the trouble since he had the time anyway, and he always loved the look of pleased surprise on his babygirl's face when she spotted his truck waiting outside for her. A daddy's girl through and through, Inuyasha wasn't ashamed to admit that part of the reason he'd wanted to pick her up himself was to selfishly spend time together, just the two of them, even if it was only ten minutes on the way home.

His phone chimed with a new text and Inuyasha tapped the notification to open it up.

 _Mmm I think it's best to wait until after Iz's birthday. Don't wanna steal her thunder._

 _steal her thunder? she'd probs think it's the best bday gift ever kagome_

 _She's turning 13 Inuyasha. That's sort of a big deal and it wouldn't be fair._

 _kagoooomeeeeeeeeeee_

 _After her birthday, Inuyasha. You can wait a few more days can't you? 3_

Chuckling, Inuyasha sent a brief "love you wench" and put his phone away with a sigh before glancing out the window toward the school. It was just before 3 pm, so Iz should be coming out any time now—

Inuyasha froze, sat up straight in his seat, and then leaned forward amber eyes narrowed dangerously. His lip curled and a low growl rumbled in his throat as his hand clenched tightly on the steering wheel, claws digging into the black leather, but he didn't notice.

Some _punk_ was chatting up _his_ babygirl and standing _way too fucking close_. Inuyasha was out of the truck and storming toward them before he even realized what he was doing, murder on his face and golden eyes boring a hole through the punk's head that dared flirt with his daughter. She was too good, too pure for the likes of him, for _anybody_ , and he'd be damn sure to let the little asswipe know that in no uncertain terms.

 **-X-**

"...And the skirt is going to be layered brown lace with some white ruffles—ugh, I'm sorry, this would be a lot easier if I had a phone so I can just show you a picture. Sorry I don't have one yet."

Izayoi blushed and gave an awkward smile, embarrassed that she lacked something most kids her age already had. Heck, even _Rin_ had a phone. Granted, she _was_ a year older, but she'd gotten it months before she turned thirteen. If it weren't for her overprotective father and worrywart of a mother, she'd probably have one by now. Or at least she liked to think so.

Ugh, her life sucked.

Raiden smiled. "Nah, it's cool," he assured with a one-shouldered shrug, blue-green eyes warm as gave a lazy grin. "Mine was a gift for my fifteenth birthday so I haven't had it long. Couple months, tops."

He shrugged and laughed and oh well would ya look at that, her life suddenly sucked a _lot_ less. Who knew a one Raiden Mashimo was the solution to a sucky life?

"That's awesome!" she gushed, perhaps a bit too excitedly, and Izayoi flushed again before clearing her throat and saying much more calmly, "I'm hoping I'll get one for my birthday too in a few days. I feel so left out, you know?"

She shrugged helplessly and smiled and gosh _darn it_ he was just so freakin' good-looking.

Raiden visibly perked up, his head tilting a little to the side as he queried, "Your birthday's soon?"

Dear god why was she blushing _again?_ "Um, y-yeah. Next week, actually. Monday."

The dark-haired teenager grinned. "Wicked. And I have an idea now: how about after school, we can go the Halloween store and you can help me pick out my costume to match yours? Then afterward, if-if you want to, that is, we can maybe...I dunno, go somewhere and get some celebratory hot chocolate, or somethin'."

Raiden offered a shy smile and rubbed the back of his neck. Izayoi wanted to gape because it was the first time she'd ever seen him anything other than his usual confident, easy-going self and she found this shy, sweet side of him made her heart race in her chest as butterflies erupted in her belly.

"Oh," she breathed, her eyes widening as she realized what that meant. A smile slowly bloomed across her face and she bit down on her lip, fighting against the urge to hop around in excitement like an idiot. A date! He'd asked her out on a _date!_

"I—I mean," he continued, wincing a little as pink dusted the bridge of his nose and cheeks. "If you're doing something with your family or whatever I completely understand, we can do it the next day or—"

"No!" Izayoi hurriedly interjected, waving her hands and shaking her head vigorously. At his startled look, she blushed and elaborated, "Er, I mean no, I don't have anything planned, and yes I'd love to go with you."

Visibly relieved, Raiden's lazy grin reappeared and he nodded. "O-okay. Good. Cool. I mean—" He coughed and tried again. "Sounds like a plan. So should I wait for you or—uh..."

Raiden's eyes suddenly went very wide as his gaze shifted behind her and Izayoi frowned.

"Raiden? Are you ok—"

The deep, dangerous growl that reverberated from behind her was _very_ familiar and the sound, filled with lethal warning, had the bottom dropping out of her stomach and her heart jumping up into her throat. She stiffened and sucked in a sharp breath, ears pinning into her silver hair as horror seized her every thought.

 _No_ , she thought, even as she watched Raiden take a tentative step backward, noting how he kept shooting her nervous glances. Belatedly Izayoi noticed the shadow that had fallen over her and never before had she wanted so much to crawl under a rock and _die_. _No, no, no, no nononononooooo..._

Despite his obvious trepidation, however, Raiden – bless his heart – swallowed his nervousness and offered a wavering smile.

"A-ah, um, M-Mister Taisho," the younger dog demon began, recovering from the initial shock of the imposing and slightly frightening figure the half-demon made. He cleared his throat and though still clearly nervous, he dipped into a shallow bow of respect.

Izayoi wanted to give him a big kiss for standing his ground and not running away. She knew from personal experience how intimidating her stupid dad could be sometimes and she knew he was purposely laying it on thick right now in an attempt to scare Raiden away. She _knew_ she liked him for a reason and she may have just fallen a little harder for him right then.

"It's…nice to meet you, sir," Raiden said a little haltingly, however not once did he look away from the half-demon's intimidating glare. "Uh, my name is Raiden Mashimo. I…go to school with Izayoi."

When Inuyasha did nothing but continue to glower fiercely at him, arms crossed with a light scowl on his face, Raiden faltered slightly and glanced at Izayoi. She could do nothing but offer a trembling, apologetic smile, face burning in embarrassment while her eyes begged him to forgive her. If Raiden never talked to her again after this, she was _never_ going to forgive her _stupid_ overbearing father.

Raiden returned he smile, though it came across as more of a grimace, and swallowed thickly before focusing his attention back on her silent father. Inuyasha's jaw tightened but he said nothing.

"We were just, uh, talking about our costumes. For the party. At…your house?"

Inwardly Raiden winced and wanted to kick himself. Oh yeah. Real smooth, idiot.

 _That_ finally received a response and the half-demon narrowed his eyes before growling, "Costumes?"

Encouraged, Raiden seemed to breathe a little easier as he nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I mean even though she _lives_ there, we decided we're gonna go together and, y'know, match up our cost—"

"I don't think so," Inuyasha cut him off, his tone cold and his stare hard.

Raiden balked and blinked in surprise. "What—"

"He means okay," Izayoi hastily interjected in a voice unusually high pitched, her eyes wide and imploring as the stared at the boy in front of her. "Don't worry, he's just—"

" _I mean_ ," Inuyasha snapped, shooting his daughter a sharp look to quell any further interruptions while simultaneously demanding her obedience, "that you're not going _anywhere_ with my daughter and you sure as _hell_ ain't gonna 'match costumes.' I can't stop you from coming obviously, but I catch you anywhere near her and I will personally escort you off my property."

Izayoi whimpered and smashed a hand over her mouth as her eyes brimmed with tears.

Raiden gaped incredulously as the half-demon finished with, "We clear, whelp?"

Dropping his gaze to the girl before him, Raiden stared into amber eyes glistening with unshed tears and easily read the desperate plea for him to forgive her for her father's unfair behavior. She removed her hand and mouthed "I'm so sorry" over and over, shaking her head, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

Nodding once to her, hoping that she understood that he did not blame her at all, Raiden steeled himself and focused his attention back on her father, carefully schooling his expression.

"Understood, sir," he murmured, gave another short bow, then meeting Izayoi's teary gaze with an apologetic wince, Raiden turned and walked away, hands in his pockets and posture stiff as a board.

Inuyasha snorted as he watched the kid go, more or less satisfied with how that exchanged had gone. Granted, he'd looked more confused than truly intimidated as that had been what he'd been aiming for, but whatever. Didn't matter as long as he got the message that his precious babygirl was off limits.

"Least this one seems to have more brains than the wolf's brat," he commented before dismissing the boy and heading for the truck. "Let's go, Iz, it's cold out and you forgot your jacket again."

When he didn't hear light footfalls following after him, Inuyasha paused and looked over his shoulder with a frown. Izayoi hadn't moved, still standing there staring in the direction that little punk had wandered off to. It appeared she hadn't even heard him ears completely immobile and face blank.

His frown deepened. "Izayoi," he called. "Let's go. Your mom's probably wondering where we are by now and I'll have ten missed calls and thirty-seven texts on my phone."

Once more he went ignored and Inuyasha sighed impatiently. She couldn't be _that_ hung up on some kid, could she? He opened his mouth to demand she get her butt in gear, unafraid to stalk over and carry her if he had to, but then the salty scent of tears drifted over to him on the breeze and Inuyasha faltered. What the—was she...was she _crying?_ What the hell—

"Iz?" he asked, turning around and crossing the distance between them. "What's wro—"

"How could you?" Izayoi suddenly hissed and the amount of venom in her voice had Inuyasha stopping in his tracks.

Inuyasha studied her silently for a moment, trying to figure out why she was so upset, but when nothing came to him he shook his head and asked carefully, "How could I wh—"

" _How could you?!"_ his daughter shrieked this time, whirling around to pin him with a fierce, baleful glare it momentarily took Inuyasha aback. Tears were running unchecked down her face, her hands were clenched into tight fists, and her ears were flattened against her head.

Recovering quickly and unwilling to let his child get away with such a show of temper, especially to him, Inuyasha pinned her with a glare of his own and bared his fangs as a warning growl echoed in his throat.

"Watch your tone, pup—"

" _No,"_ Izayoi snapped, glowering at him even more fiercely as the tears continued to spill down her cheeks. "I can't _believe_ you just—I can't even— _ **ugh!**_ "

With a wordless cry of fury, the young hanyou growled her aggravation before abruptly spinning on her heel and storming away, back stiff with anger and teeth clenched so tight her jaw ached. She tried to ignore the hallow ache in her chest, tried to swallow the sob of despair that welled up in her throat and fought to escape past her lips as her stomach clenched painfully. She felt cold all over and was vaguely aware that she was shaking, but none of that mattered.

Her mental anguish far outweighed anything that she might have been feeling on the physical plane because Izayoi was positive now that Raiden would never talk to her again and it was all her _stupid dad's fault._

"Hey!" Inuyasha called after her, but she ignored him. "Where the fuck do you think you're going? Get in the truck, Izayoi. I'm taking you home and we can discuss this—"

"I'm _walking_ ," Izayoi spat back at him without stopping or even looking at him. Like hell she was going to voluntarily be in the same space as him right now. She was too angry, too hurt; she couldn't even look at him without wanting to break down and weep. Just thinking about it had another sob catching in her throat but she bit it back, pressing her lips together as her eyes burned with more tears.

"The hell you are," her father snapped and stomped after her. "Quit the attitude and get in the truck, Izayoi. _Now_."

Izayoi ignored him and kept walking, a little faster this time.

Cursing a blue streak, Inuyasha stopped, crossed his arms, and barked, "Truck _now_ or you're grounded."

His daughter stopped. Straightened her shoulders. Then whirled around to pin him with a withering glare so intense, if looks could kill he'd be six feet under by now.

Unmoved, Inuyasha stared back evenly, not giving an inch, however the slight narrowing of his eyes, a not so subtle warning, suggested she would do well to heed his demand and _promptly_.

Izayoi glared murderously at him for another minute, no doubt pissed off that he'd used such an unfair threat, then finally did ass he was told and stalked toward the vehicle still sitting on the street.

Inuyasha waited until she was inside with the door shut, not putting it passed her to bolt at the last second, before following suit, jogging the rest of the way just in case she decided to get smart and lock him out. Thankfully she did and when he slid behind the wheel she refused to look at him, arms folded tightly across her chests as she glowered out the window.

She was still shaking and Inuyasha turned up the heat before pulling away and making a U-turn to head home.

"You gonna tell me what the hell all that was or you gonna keep being pissy?" he asked her, flicking a glance at his silent daughter through the review before looking straight again.

Izayoi tightened her jaw but otherwise did not respond, remaining in stony silence.

Inuyasha sighed and hung a right. He hated fighting with her, but sometimes it was the only way to solve the problem at hand. How fortuitous to be blessed with a daughter with a temper that matched his own?

And by fortuitous be meant annoying as fuck.

"I don't know what the hell you're so mad about," Inuyasha growled as he turned onto their street a few minutes later, "but this attitude needs to stop, right now, because if you think I'm gonna let you talk to your mother like you did with me, you got another think comin', kiddo."

Izayoi scoffed loudly and grabbed her backpack, getting ready to open the door and bolt the instant they pulled into the driveway. Another wave of tears pricked the back of her eyes and she bit down hard to stifle the whimper that threatened to escape. Her chest ached, her throat tightened, and she squeezed her eyes shut tight.

Glancing at her in the review, Inuyasha frowned but didn't say anything more since they were just about home anyway. Predictably Kagome's SUV was already parked in front of the garage and he pulled in next to it, hoping that the brief car ride had cooled her temper somewhat like it had his.

He hadn't even put the truck in park before Izayoi opened the door and darted out so fast she didn't even bother to close the door behind her. Inuyasha cursed and hurriedly shifted into park before cutting the engine and hastily following after her, not wanting to spare the extra second to close her door but he did.

Kagome was in the kitchen fixing up an after school snack for her daughter while Tai watched cartoons in the other room when the side door suddenly slammed open and the hanyou in question came tearing through it.

"Iz—" she tried but her daughter didn't even spare her a glance and Kagome heard what sounded like a muffled sob as Izayoi tore past her and ran toward the stairs, not even bothering to take them one at a time and instead using her hanyou strength to launch herself to the top in two leaps. Seconds later another slam reverberated throughput the house as she closed herself in her room.

" _Izayoi!"_ her husband barked a second later right before he came crashing through the door and Kagome blinked.

"Oh, dear," she whispered and putting down the peanut butter covered butter knife, Kagome hurriedly moved to intercept the obviously ticked off hanyou intent on following their daughter.

"Dammit—" Inuyasha hissed, scowling as he stormed after his rebellious offspring, but small hands were suddenly pressed against his chest, stopping his warpath, and he turned his glower on his wife.

"Outta the way, Kagome, I need to—"

"No," Kagome said firmly, her tone brooking no room for argument. "Not like _this_ , you aren't. I have no idea what happened, but you need to sit down and cool your temper before you go talking to her because you'll just end up making it worse."

He snapped his jaw shut and glared at her, offended.

She shrugged because it was true; she knew first hand how her daughter and husband's arguments could be like because she was often in the middle of them.

"Go sit, drink some cider," Kagome told him, firmly but gently as she reached up to fondly tweak his ear. "Let me talk to her first, okay? Sometime tells me you're the last person she wants to see right now, anyway."

And it was if those words took the wind right out of his sails because Inuyasha deflated, ears lowering as he closed his eyes, shoulders slumping. Dammit, she was right, as usual; his daughter could be just as headstrong as him, and if he went to her now, they'd just end up in another shouting match, getting nowhere fast.

Kagome's hand on his cheek prompted him to open his eyes to find her smiling gently at him, her caramel colored eyes warm with understanding and his throat tightened as a whine threatened to escape.

"Let me talk to her," she repeated and leaned up to kiss his jaw. "It'll be fine, love. Just give it some time. I'll be back soon."

With that she patted his cheek and headed for the stairs to get the story from their clearly distraught daughter.

Inuyasha took a steadying breath, pinched his nose, and wandered into the living room to see to their five-year-old. He could hear little sounds of distress coming from him, no doubt wondering what was just happened, and he couldn't bear to have both of his children upset.

At least this one didn't want to tear his face off, Inuyasha sourly mused as he hefted Tai into his arms where he immediately burrowed into him and then sank down onto the couch to wait.

He hated waiting.

Mercifully it wasn't long at all before he heard the sound of a door being closed and light footsteps coming down the stairs a few seconds later. Reclined on the couch with Tai napping against him, Inuyasha's ears perked up and he turned his head as Kagome entered the living room. Her small smile was encouraging, but he didn't let his hopes get too high; it was entirely possible Izayoi still didn't want to talk to him. He didn't know if it was because she was female, nearly a teenager, or just because she had his blood in her veins, but when his daughter held a grudge, she _held a grudge._

Kagome settled beside him and smiled down at their napping son, smoothing back his hair. She was silent as she gathered her thoughts, trying to find a way to explain as best as she can without upsetting him again because she knew he wasn't gong to like what she had to say.

"Well, she told me what happened," she remarked with a sigh. "And I know you're not going to like this, but you shouldn't have done that."

Her husband set his jaw and looked away, glaring at the TV that at the moment had brightly colored cartoon characters on it.

Kagome shook her head, unsurprised at his reaction. "She really likes this boy, Inuyasha. And you embarrassed her by putting on your 'I'm-so-intimidating' act and pretty much forbidding her from going near him and vice versa. And threatening to escort him off the property if he gest too close? Inuyasha..."

Said hanyou scowled and refused to comment.

Kagome dropped her gaze to Tai's sleeping face and tenderly smoothed back his bangs, remembering when her little girl was this small and she was still able to pick her up. She couldn't believe she was going to be a teenager in just a few short days. How time flies...

"She's too good for him," Inuyasha suddenly grumbled, a slight pout of his face. "She's...she's innocent, too _young_ to be thinking about _boys_."

Kagome smiled. Now she understood.

"Inuyasha," she began softly, moving her hand to cradle her husband's jaw and adding gentle pressure to get him to meet her eyes. "Whether you like it or not, she's going to be thirteen in just a few short days. She's going to start being more independent, more outspoken and rebellious, and yes, she's going to start dating, too."

Inuyasha flinched and looked about ready to argue, but Kagome spoke up before he could get a word in edgewise.

"I know it's a little hard to accept, but she's not going to be your little girl forever, Inuyasha."

He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes with a wince, the words painful to hear however true they were.

Kagome smiled sadly and continued, "You can't be her constant shadow, protecting her from everything and essentially stunting her growth. She needs room to grow, to make a few mistakes and learn from them, to become a lovely young woman with a good head on her shoulders. She's not stupid, Inuyasha, you and I both know that. She's fully capable of taking care of herself, or do I need to remind you of Daisuke?"

Inuyasha blinked and then a slow grin curved his mouth upward, recalling how she'd broken the brat's nose for being too forward. Heh. She _could_ take care of herself, couldn't she?

Kagome suddenly sighed and stood up, leaning down to take Tai from his arms and cradle him against her shoulder; he remained fast asleep.

"I don't think she's ready to talk yet," she said, casting a glance at the ceiling. "Let her come to you, alright? I know you want to fix this, but you won't get anywhere if only one of you are willing to mend the bridge."

Sighing in defeat, Inuyasha nodded and thrust a hand through his hair. She was right. _Again_ , goddammit.

Slim fingers caught his ear and rubbed the soft flesh soothingly. Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"It'll be okay," she whispered before warm lips pressed against his cheek. "Just give it time."

With one last warm smile, Kagome left, probably to take Tai up to his room to have the rest of his nap in peace.

Inuyasha watched her go and withheld a whine.

Fuck, he really hated waiting.

 **-X-**

It was just after 9 pm when Inuyasha padded down the carpeted hallway to her room, steaming cup of hot cocoa in his hand and hopeful mindset. Izayoi had only come out of her room to eat dinner and shower before retreating from whence she came. Though she still wouldn't look at him – or even acknowledge him, really – his daughter was no longing glaring death at him so he would call that an improvement.

Maybe it still wasn't the right time, but he couldn't wait anymore. He'd done nothing but think about what happened and now he wanted to reconcile with his little girl. He wanted to feel one of her hugs, wanted her to smile at him again, and he desperately wanted to hear her say "I love you, daddy."

Even if his efforts were wasted, he at least wanted to try.

Stopping before her door, Inuyasha took a breath and knocked.

"Iz?" he called out softly, confident she could hear him through the heavy wood. "Can we, uh, talk?"

Nothing.

Ears lowering, he tried again. "I brought you some hot cocoa. The way you like it, with the marshmallows and whipped cream."

More silence. Not even a rustle of clothing, though he did hear the gentle whistling of the wind outside.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the door. "Please, babygirl. I just wanna talk. Can you let me in?"

Still nothing, and Inuyasha frowned. "Iz?"

Taking a chance, he turned the knob and cracked open the door enough to peer inside. He wasn't expecting it to be dark inside his daughter's room and instantly concerned, he opened the door the rest of the way. When he didn't see her right away the beginnings of panic started to set in and he whipped his head around, amber eyes searching the shadows of the room for his daughter, and he was just about ready to bellow her name when a he felt crisp wind on his face and something fluttering in his peripheral.

Inuyasha snapped his head toward the window—and relaxed, the breath whooshing but of his lungs as realization dawned.

Heaving a sigh as his ears drooped low – it looked like he wouldn't be getting that talk tonight – Inuyasha ambled over to the open window where the curtains were gently swaying in the breeze and set the mug of hot cocoa down on the nightstand beside the window.

Hidden within the shadows of the large oak tree in their backyard, Inuyasha caught a flash of silver and gold as Izayoi pretended she hadn't noticed him at her window and the older half-demon tried very hard to ignore the ache in his chest as he left his daughter's bedroom without a word.


	25. Possession

Okay so I stayed up super late last night to try and get this out, but I couldn't do it because i was so tired lol and now I'm kicking myself because I could have posted the first half of it because honestly the last five pages aren't even that relevant but eh whatever.

This came out a lot longer than I anticipated, but only because I wanted to have the argument between Inuyasha and Izayoi resolved and that will be posted later today, but not as an official Spooktober prompt. It'll be more like a bonus chapter.

and once more, the prompt has nothing at all to do with anything spooky or Halloween related lmao oh well there's no rules saying that is has to XD

 **Spooktober Day 25**

 **Possession**

Izayoi stared at the festive and brightly decorated door of her locker, feeling oddly detached as she took in all the well wishes and brief, personal messages from her friends. As was a custom whenever someone in their tightly knit group of friends had a birthday, they always arrived early to decorate their locker with homemade cards, cut out stars, dollar store cheap decorations and silly little messages.

Rin's was, of course, front and center, her handwriting big, bold, and loud, just like the girl herself was. Kohaku's messy scrawl was just beneath hers, and she'd spotted a few other birthday wishes from people she knew of, but didn't talk to that much, probably just sparing a second to write down a quick happy b-day as they passed by.

Seeing Kohaku's had made her think that maybe someone _else_ had taken the time to write something too, but upon realizing that his name was missing from all the rest, the disappointment had been swift and stinging.

Thinking on it now, however, Izayoi grudgingly admitted that it made sense; being two grades above her, Raiden was in a different part of the school where his own classes were located. She hadn't seen him all day and didn't know if he was even here today and if he was, certainly he had no reason to venture this far out of his way just to write a silly little message for a silly little girl with a not so little crush on her birthday.

 _And why would he,_ Izayoi thought bitterly, features twisting into a pout as she put in the combination and roughly yanked open her locker door. _Probably wants nothing to do with me now, the girl with the crazy overprotective jerkface of a father. Not after Friday._

She knew it wasn't the end of the world or anything. Plenty of fish in the sea and all that. She was young, blah blah blah.

Didn't stop it from hurting, though.

Sighing, Izayoi carelessly tossed her bag on top of her texts and her eyes landed on the sleek device sitting quietly on the top shelf. She hesitated for a fleeting moment – it was lunch period so she was allowed to have it – then gave in and reached up to grab it. It was cool against her skin as she brought it down and her face was reflected in the dark, smooth glass of the screen.

Despite her current mood she had to smile a little. She'd found the cell phone in her backpack that morning when exchanging her books for first period and she'd been so surprised she'd nearly dropped it. The note taped to the box it was in had nearly made her cry on the spot, and thinking of it now Izayoi once more felt her throat tighten and her eyes to feel hot.

The note had simply said _"Happy birthday, babygirl. Love, Mom and Dad"_ and it had been in her dad's handwriting.

She still hadn't spoken to him since their argument Friday. All weekend she'd actively avoided him and though it was clear her mom disapproved, she hadn't stopped her either, and Izayoi was grateful. She was still angry, still hurt from what he'd said and done and she wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

Surprisingly her mom wasn't trying to play mediator like she usually did, and even more surprisingly, her dad hadn't tried to approach and talk things over. He was giving her the space she wanted, respecting her silent wish to leave her be until she was ready.

The fact that he was letting _her_ come to _him_ made her feel a guilty, and that just made her feel even worse, and round and round the vicious cycle went.

God. Here it finally was, her thirteen birthday, making her an official teenager, and here _she_ was, absolutely and completely miserable.

Izayoi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and once she felt like she wasn't about to break apart, she tucked the phone away in the back pocket of her jeans and swung the door to her locker closed.

"Hey, pretty puppy."

The breath left her lungs in a deep, aggravated sigh and she grumbled, "Leave me alone, Daisuke. I'm in no mood to deal with you right now." _Or ever._

"C'mon," he crooned and swiftly stepped in front of her when she moved to walk away. "You're not still mad about what happened, are you? It was an accident."

Izayoi snorted. "Maybe on your end," she mumbled under her breath, not really caring if he heard her. Because breaking his nose had definitely _not_ been an accident.

"Look, it's your birthday, right? So lemme make it up to you. Let's do something after school, my treat." He grinned charmingly down at her, probably thinking it was actually going to be that easy.

"No thanks," Izayoi said and moved to step around him. "Rin and the girls already promised to take me out and I'm doing something with my family afterward."

Lies, but he didn't need to know that. Or at least the first part was; she was pretty sure her parents wanted her home at some point so they could have a small celebration with family, cake, and ice cream and embarrass her by singing "happy birthday" horribly off key. And normally that would have appealed to her, but right now all it did was remind her of the plans she _used_ to have today, and her chest ached.

"So they can come with us," Daisuke said with a shrug, frowning when she went to step around him. Once more he intercepted her, using his longer legs to his advantage. "The more the merrier, right?"

Izayoi set her jaw and pegged him with a peeved glare.

" _No_ ," she said firmly and again went to brush past him, their less than stimulating conversation over as far as she was concerned.

Daisuke darted a hand out and caught her arm, preventing her from leaving.

"Alright, I get it," he said, ignoring her annoyed growl as she yanked at her arm. He held fast and continued with a smirk, "My pretty puppy's playing hard to get. Fine, if you won't go out with me tonight, then go with me to your parents' Halloween party."

He paused, and then frowned. "Wait, you can still go with me even though you live there, right—"

"I'm not your _anything_ , Daisuke," Izayoi hissed, ears pinned against her head and amber eyes snapping fire at him. "Let me go. Now."

"We can meet somewhere and go together," he said, completely ignoring her. "It'll be like a real date."

Amber eyes narrowed as she said through gritted teeth, "You want me to break your nose again?"

Daisuke blinked and frowned, however he did loosen his hold enough for her to jerk her arm free.

Glowering at him, her patience for his idiocy worn out, she snapped, "I'm not going with you to the party. I'm already going with somebody else."

As soon as the words left her mouth Izayoi wanted to take them back. _Oh, why did I say that? It's not true. At least, not any more._

Aaaaaaand she wanted to cry again. Great.

Daisuke blinked and he proved that he was capable of feeling more than just arrogance as confusion crossed his features.

"Wait, you are? With who?"

Izayoi merely crossed her arms and looked away. She would have left already, but she knew he would just stop her again so there was no point.

Daisuke's face darkened and he scowled a little, jealousy flashing in midnight eyes.

"Who the hell is it?" he demanded in a low, dangerous voice, not wanting to believe someone had gotten to his pretty puppy before he did. She was supposed to be with _him_ , dammit!

Izayoi cut her eyes to his briefly and muttered, "None of your business."

He growled and stepped forward. "Dammit, _who_ —"

"She's going with me, dickless," a voice interrupted from behind her and as Daisuke whipped his head up to level a glare at the intruder, Izayoi fought against the urge to weep in relief because one, he had perfect timing, and two, _he still wanted to go with her to the party._ A part of her also wanted to laugh because he'd called Daisuke dickless, but that was easily suppressed _._

Daisuke scoffed and with his attention on the other demon he didn't notice Izayoi take a step back to put some distance between them.

"You can't be serious," the wolf said with a derisive snort and crossed his arms, lifting his chin haughtily as he stared down his nose at the dark-haired dog demon. "It's _you?_ "

Standing just a few feet away with his arms crossed and an unreadable look on his face, Raiden regarded Daisuke mutely for another minute before crossing the distance between them. With Izayoi's back facing him he couldn't see her face but he didn't need to; her scent told him everything he needed to know.

He purposely positioned himself in front of her and crossed his arms again, unaffected by the snarl Daisue was currently aiming at him.

"I'm completely serious," Raiden finally answered and he heard Izayoi inhale sharply behind him. " _I'm_ her date, she's _not_ available, so you can go now. I can take it from here."

Then he actually smirked and Izayoi bit back a snicker.

Daisuke snorted again and mirrored the dog demon's pose, crossing his arms and giving him a once over, his expression suggestion that he was not impressed.

"Please," he scoffed. "Inuyasha Taisho would chew you up and spit you out barely breathing if a pathetic weakling like you ever came near his precious daughter." Then he returned the smirk and added, "And you'd go running with your tail between your legs so you can lick your wounded ego."

Raiden merely cocked a brow and drawled, "And yet, here I am."

Izayoi slapped hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh.

 _That_ particular implication wiped the smirk right off of his face and Daisuke scared incredulously at him before narrowing his eyes in disbelief.

"You mean you actually faced off against her old man and came back in one piece?" he asked, the idea clearly ludicrous to him.

Raiden stared at him before slowly looking down at himself, as if to check that he was, indeed, all there.

"Seems like it," he said and this time had to grin when Izayoi failed that time in smothering her laugh.

Daisuke scowled, not amused by his show of nonchalance and cockiness. He'd had enough of this wise guy and his holier than thou attitude and it was time to end this pointless conversation.

"Listen here, smartass—"

"No, _you_ listen," Raiden interrupted and Izayoi watched in fascination as his face twisted into scowl, something she'd never seen on him before. "I've seen the way you act toward her, like she's some kind of possession, a thing to claim, and I'm sick of it. She's not your 'pretty puppy' or your _anything_ ; she's Izayoi, she's cute, funny, smart, and she's _my_ date, so do both of us a favor and _back off_ , Matsuno. Your advances are clearly unwanted, and maybe you're too dense to understand that, but I'm more than happy to demonstrate in a much more physical way if you continue to bother her. And by physical I mean my fist to your face, just in case you need that clarification."

Daisuke surprisingly had nothing to say to that, his face flushed in anger, jaw clenched, and blue eyes swimming with all the loathing he had for the dog demon in front of him. Raiden was unmoved, staring steadily back at him, an unmovable object against an unstoppable force.

Gritting his teeth, the wolf shifted his gaze to the hanyou standing silently behind his advisory, seeking some kind of sing that the dog was wrong, but Izayoi wasn't even looking at him. Her golden gaze was trained solely on the damned dog and he could have sworn there were goddamn hearts in her eyes.

He blinked and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Well. That was his answer, wasn't it.

Straightening his back and turning his eyes back toward Raiden, Daisuke set his jaw, glared into eyes that were the weirdest freaking shade of blue-green he'd ever seen, then with a barely perceptible nod, he turned and wordlessly stalked away.

The second he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Raiden exhaled loudly and turned around to face the pretty silver-haired hanyou he was starting to develop some serious feelings for. Feelings that he maybe, sort of, wanted to explore, but first he had to get passed the fair lady's guard and protector.

Easier said than done, as he'd found out first hand, but he was sure as hell going to try.

Realizing that he may have overstepped his boundaries a bit, Raiden grimaced and cautiously peeked at her face. He was met with the smiling countenance of said fair lady, her pretty golden eyes soft, and slowly he relaxed.

"Hi," he said lamely. You know, like a dumbass.

Her smile widened. "Hi," she breathed, eyes suspiciously bright. "Thank you. For saying all that. You didn't have to, and..." she trailed off, shrugging and shifted her gaze to the side, her face flushed.

Raiden frowned. "I did have to," he said firmly. "Otherwise I don't think he would have ever left you alone. I'm sorry, I...probably shouldn't have said some of it—"

"Did you mean it?" she asked him, voice serious, eyes searching his own.

He didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Her smile was bright and beautiful and, yep he was a goner. Shit.

"Then don't be sorry. I'm not."

His eyes widened.

...Oh.

 _Oh._

Ridiculously Raiden felt his face heat and he coughed into his hand, looking away briefly to regain his bearings.

"Jeez, woman, warn a guy," he grumbled and was rewarded with her soft giggle. Sneaking a glance, he saw her looking away too, but she was still smiling with a soft blush on her cheeks, and oddly that helped to regain his scattered nerves and he sighed before reaching into his pack pocket to pull out his reason for seeking her out.

"I wanted to give you this," he stated, holding it out and Izayoi blinked in surprise, her smile never fading as she reached out and took it. "I waited for you at the cafeteria but when you didn't show, I got worried. Now I'm glad I went looking for you."

Izayoi turned her smile on him. "Me, too," she whispered, her gratitude obvious in her eyes and voice.

With a small grin Raiden watched her open the simple card he'd gotten her and had to admit, he was very satisfied with the way her flush deepened and her smile became positively radiant. It wasn't much, but he'd thought of her when he saw them, and knew he had to get them.

The card read, _"Happy birthday, buttercup. —Rai"_ and tucked inside was an artificial stem of golden buttercup blossoms.

It was so simple, a little cheesy, and Izayoi absolutely adored it.

"I love it," she said honestly, lifting her golden gaze to meet his own blue-green depths. "Thank you so much, Raiden. It...it means a lot."

Raiden grinned and innocently turned his head, lifting a hand to not so subtly scratch his cheek as he rolled his eyes heavenward, waiting.

Izayoi immediately caught on and laughing, strangely not at all shy or embarrassed, she stepped in close and leaned up to brush a kiss across his cheek. When she leaned back he was as smug as can be with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face and once more she had to laugh. What a goober!

"Score," he said proudly, taking the fake flower from her hand and carefully tucking it behind her ear.

The soft flesh flicked against his fingers and he had the insane urge to grab the appendage to see how soft it really was, but he refrained and dropped his hand, admiring the splash of golden color amidst the sterling silver of her hair.

When he flicked his gaze back to her face, he was amused to see that it had gone red again and her bright amber eyes were wide as she gazed at him. Her fingers brushed the delicate faux petals and her pleasure from the simple act was obvious in her brilliant smile.

Raiden was momentarily struck stupid but got ahold of himself quickly and stepped back to give her some space. He tried not to read too much into the flash of disappointment he saw on her face before it disappeared.

"So, uh," he said, clearing his throat. "We're still on, right? For the party I mean." He gave an easy smile and shoved his hands into his pockets, his posture relaxed.

The happiest she'd been all day, Izayoi eagerly nodded, relieved that he still wanted to go with her.

"Definitely!" she answered and then suddenly remembered the phone in her back pocket and with a little sound of exclamation, Izayoi reached back to fish it out and proudly present it to him.

"And look!" she gushed, grinning as she woke up the screen. "Birthday present from my parents. I found it this morning in my bag, those sneaks."

Raiden positively lit up and he took it from her, unlocking the screen and nodding in approval.

"Wicked," he praised, going into her message app. "I'm sending myself a message so I can have your number." He paused and glanced at her. "If...that's okay—"

"Yes!" Izayoi immediately answered, then blushed at her enthusiasm and cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. That's fine." She smiled and tried to act cool.

He grinned, secretly pleased and shot himself a quick text with the peace sign emoji. He politely didn't mention the heart eyes emoji next to his contact info as he handed the mobile back, trying not to smirk proudly.

Izayoi secured her new phone back into her pocket and beamed at him, clasping her hands behind her back.

"So we're still going to the store after school, right? I've been browsing the website and I think I have a few ideas," she stated, bounding a little on the balls of her feet in excitement. She suddenly couldn't _wait_ for Halloween!

The grimace that crossed Raiden's face, however, was not encouraging and Izayoi blinked, her brow furrowing slightly. His next words had a ball of dread forming in her stomach and her ears wilted atop her head.

"Listen, buttercup," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking to the side. "I don't think that'd be such a good idea after...well. You know." He shrugged and dared a peek at her face. Her completely dejected expression threw him for a loop and his eyes widened in horror.

"Oh," she whispered, biting down on her lip and blinking rapidly to stave off the tears. She'd thought...did he change his mind? Did he not really...want to be with her...?

"Wait," Raiden said suddenly, urgently, and his hands landed on her shoulders, prompting to her lift her wide-eyed gaze. "Hear me out, okay?"

Swallowing thickly, Izayoi nodded, desperately hoping she was wrong.

Squeezing her shoulders, Raiden began, "Rin told me about the blow out you had with your dad after I left Friday and I feel...well, I feel pretty damn horrible about it."

Izayoi winced and looked to the side. With a wry smile, he continued, "It's my fault you got into an argument, and I wouldn't feel right whiling you away to look at costumes while you guys are at such odds with each other. I think you should go home and talk this out with him, buttercup. I don't want to be the cause of a rift between you two. Family is important, and if we...well."

He cleared his throat and flushed slightly. "If things...uh, go any further and your dad doesn't trust me, I don't want you to have to choose between them or me. Because it should _always_ be them, buttercup. So before we go gallivanting off into the sunset"—he was rewarded with a watery giggle at that and he grinned—"I need you to make up with your old man so you can stop him from 'chewing me up and spitting me out' when I come face to face with him again. I sorta like all my limbs attached to my body, you know."

Izayoi released another wispy laugh and wiped at her eyes, heaving a sigh. He was right. Of _course_ he was right. And anyway it wasn't like she didn't want to make up with her dad. It had been eating at her all day and the phone was a burning reminder of it. She needed to stop being a baby and make things right. He'd already demonstrated that he wasn't going to start anything, so it had to be her, didn't it? Just like she wanted.

Ugh. Easier said than done.

"Okay," Izayoi agreed at length, nodding and offering a small but genuine smile. "I will. But...tomorrow, though?"

Golden eyes, like rich honey, pleaded with him and damn, how could he _possibly_ say no to that?

Expression softening, Raiden grinned and couldn't stop himself from gently tugging on a lock of sterling hair.

"Tomorrow," he promised. "And I'm already looking forward to it."

Izayoi's smile was genuine, her eyes were soft, and her voice was fond as she replied, "Me too."

Nodding in satisfaction, Raiden dropped his hand only to wrap his arm around her shoulders an street her down the hallway. Izayoi blushed but leaned into him. Damn, she was cute.

"So," he said conversationally as he lead her toward the cafeteria. He glanced down at her with a cheeky grin and asked, "Did you really break his nose?"

"Ohmigawd," Izayoi groaned as she buried her face in her hands while Raiden, the brat, threw his head back and cackled gleefully.


	26. Bonus: Resolution

A bonus Spooktober chapter, following a few days after the events of **Possession.**

 **Resolution**

Inuyasha was sitting at his desk, trying quite unsuccessfully to get some work done with his mind so preoccupied with a certain silver-haired teenage daughter of his, when he heard the side door slam shut and footsteps stomping across the house toward his office. He froze and tensed in his chair just as her familiar scent, tinged with the bitterness of anger, drifted into the room and he turned his head just as the girl in question arrived at his door.

Standing in the doorway to his office, body stiff, fists clenched, and face screwed up into a fierce scowl, Izayoi silently glared at her father. Her little chest was heaving and she was practically trembling with the intensity of her emotions, ears pinned against her head and teeth clenched tightly.

Inuyasha regarded her mutely for a few seconds more before wordlessly saving his work on the computer, removing his reading glasses, and setting them on the desk before swiveling in his chair to face her fully. Leaning forward he propped his elbows on his knees and gave her his undivided attention, patiently waiting for her to begin.

He didn't have to wait long.

"I didn't _want_ to come home after school," she started in a soft hiss. "I _wanted_ to go to the store with Rai like we originally planned, because I'm still _mad_ at you, and maybe even have a _little_ bit of fun so I wouldn't be having such a _crappy_ birthday _,_ but do you know who convinced me to come home instead?"

Inuyasha tightened his jaw and forced himself to remain silent, knowing his daughter needed this.

" _Raiden_ did," she supplied and her father's eyes rounded slightly in surprise. "Yes. _That_ Raiden. And do you know _why?_ Because he didn't want my relationship with my dad to suffer just because said dad is a big jerkface, because that's the type of person Rai _is!"_

Her dad flinched and still said nothing.

"I _like_ this boy, Dad," Izayoi continued fiercely and hated the way her voice caught in her throat. Her eyes burned with the threat of tears but she continued, determined to say this now that she'd started.

"A _lot_ , and by some miracle I think he likes me back, and you _humiliated_ me in front of him and I was terrified he was _never_ gonna talk to me again, but he did because he's a _good person_."

Izayoi couldn't hold back the tears any longer and they streamed down her face, blurring her vision, but she forged on, roughly dashing a hand cross her eyes. She knew her dad hated it when she cried, but right now she couldn't find the strength to care, and it wasn't like she could help it anyway. She'd been teetering on the edge all day, her emotions throughout the day having been so strung tight and frayed it was amazing she'd held out as long as she had. It felt good to release some of the pressure that had built up and so she continued, her words heated, her voice passionate.

"He genuinely cares about me and he feels guilty about what happened Friday even though he's not even in the wrong here. Raiden is nothing like Daisuke, and in fact he _saved_ me from Dai today, but that's not the point."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and once more fixed him with a stern look. "I am _thirteen years old now_ , Dad. You can't protect me forever and I don't want you to."

Her father winced but she forced herself to go on, her tears running unchecked and her breathing becoming a little uneven. It was getting harder to push words out, but she couldn't stop now despite the sudden, savage urge to throw herself into her father's arms and let him take away the pain like he used to when she was little.

"I'm not that little girl anymore," she rasped and try as she might she could not hold back the sob that erupted for her throat. "I know you just want to keep me from getting hurt, but you have to realize that you can't—you can't shelter me from everything and—and I just—it's not f- _fair_ and I want—"

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her shaking frame and with a sob Izayoi collapsed into her father's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and weeping into his shoulder as he gathered her close to him and held her as she cried. She clung to his shirt as he rubbed her back and murmured gently to her, nuzzling her head and allowing this desperately needed relief.

"I'm still m-mad at you-u-u," Izayoi managed through her sobs, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down. It wasn't really working.

"I know," Inuyasha replied with a hint of a smile, closing his eyes and tightening his arms around her. "You can be mad at me all you want. Your big jerkface of a dad deserves it."

Izayoi made a sound that might have been a choked laugh but he couldn't be sure so he just continued to hold her, rocking her gently in his arms, rubbing her back and growling soothingly in an attempt to help calm her down. She hadn't let him come near her the entire weekend, and he relished having his little girl in his arms again, her scent in his nose, infinitely glad that she was finally giving him a chance to atone for his stupidity. He knew it stemmed from the fear of her growing up too fast. She was suddenly liking _boys_ , and having a social life, and Inuyasha realized that as much as he wanted time to slow down, he knew he couldn't and he had to come to terms with the fact that his little girl wasn't so little anymore. Hell, she nearly reached Kagome's shoulders; a few more years and she'd be taller than her, Inuyasha was sure.

With a shaky sigh, Izayoi moved to pull away and Inuyasha reluctantly loosened his grip, but didn't remove his arms from her. He knelt there as she pulled herself together, wiping at her eyes, sniffling and regulating her breathing as he contented himself with rubbing a downy ear, waiting patiently.

She dropped her hands and blinked bright amber eyes at her father before offering a tentative, trembling smile. Inuyasha quirked a grin back and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Both of their ears flicked when the ring of the doorbell suddenly echoed throughout the house, but it went ignored.

"I'm sorry," he said and then added with a sigh, "And you're right. I know you're not a little girl anymore, Iz, but you'll always be _my_ little girl, whether you like it or not, so I'll offer you a deal. You do your old man a solid and try to be patient while I try and deal with you growing up faster than I can keep up with, and I'll do my best to give you your space and understand that there are some things I can't control. I'm sure it won't be easy, but if it'll avoid shitstorms like this in the future, I'm willing to try."

Inuyasha aimed another crooked grin at her and nuzzled his nose with hers. "So whaddaya say? Yay or nay?"

He was finally grace with one of her beautiful smiles she got from her mother and nodded, eyes identical to his own brightening and showing more than a little bit of relief.

"Okay," she breathed. "Deal. I love you, Daddy." Izayoi pulled him in for another hug, her arms going around his neck and Inuyasha felt his chest tighten as he returned the embrace.

Ridiculously he felt his eyes grow hot as he rasped, "Love you too, babygirl," and kissed her cheek.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome appeared in the doorway and smiled down at her husband and daughter. "There's someone here to see you."

Inuyasha sighed and reluctantly pulled away, dropping another kiss to his daughter's head before standing up and going to see who was at the door. Izayoi sniffled and rubbed at her cheeks, accepting her mother's hug when Kagome wrapped her up in her arms.

He'd already caught the familiar scent drifting down the hallway so when Inuyasha reached the foyer he wasn't surprised to find their visitor standing there before the doorway, hands in his pockets and looking a little uncomfortable. To his credit, however, he didn't look away from the half-demon's gaze as he stopped a little ways before him, arms crossed and his posture lacking any of the hostility he'd had from their last meeting.

He heard footsteps approaching behind him then Izayoi's soft gasp as she realized who it was but he didn't glance at her and kept his expression a neutral mask of indifference. He had a feeling he knew what this was about, and he had to admit, he liked the kid's tenacity.

Trying not to fidget where he stood, Raiden spared a brief glance Izayoi's way to toss her a quick reassuring grin before turning his attention to the taller figure beside her. He cleared his throat, gathered his nerve, and sucked in a deep breath before starting what he came here to do.

"Mr. Taisho," he began politely and bowed to both him and Izayoi's mother who stood just behind her husband with a friendly smile. "Mrs. Taisho. I'm, uh, I'm sorry for coming unexpectedly, but I wanted to clear the air a little because of how things went on Friday. If that's okay."

Izayoi smiled while her father nodded his head to continue.

"Look," Raiden began a little awkwardly, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his gaze. "I just wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have assumed that your daughter was free to go out with a complete stranger that you'd never before, and I should have asked first if it was alright if I can spend time with her. Izayoi told me what happened between you guys and I just—I feel bad."

Actually he'd heard it from Rin, who was the school's biggest gossip and also cousin to the girl he was interested in, but he doubted it was a good idea to mention their family drama is being broadcasted all over school by his niece. Judging by Izayoi's grateful look, he'd made the right call.

Giving up on remaining stoic – he'd never been very good at hiding his emotions anyway – Inuyasha sighed heavily and then grimaced. He caught Kagome's gaze, who shrugged and then nodded, and the half-demon grumbled slightly before turning back toward the boy.

"Actually," he rumbled, frowning as he glanced at his daughter who had yet to take her gaze off of the younger dog demon. "She is."

Raiden blinked and frowned a little. "She is...?"

He sighed again and reluctantly admitted, "She's free to go out with who she wants without our permission. Iz has a good judge of character and I know she's more than capable of taking care of herself. Just ask Daisuke," he added in a mumble.

Raiden heard it anyway and perked up a little, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "You mean how she broke his nose, right?" At Inuyasha's surprised look, he shrugged. "I overheard her talking to him while he was harassing her at school today and she asked him if he wanted her to break it again. He certainly deserved it for being a dick," he said bluntly, unapologetic.

While Izayoi groaned softly and covered her red face with her hands, Inuyasha was thinking that maybe this boy wasn't so bad if he was of the same mind of that brat that he was. And hadn't Iz said something about him saving her from Daisuke or something? So he'd stepped in when his girl was in trouble. So to took action and didn't hesitate to protect her. Definitely admirable.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said suddenly, drawing both of their attention as she stepped forward and put a hand on her husband's shoulder with an encouraging smile. "Don't you have something you need to say to Raiden, too?"

While Raiden looked confused and Izayoi was lookin back and forth between them, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and dragged a hand down his face, knowing his wife was right, but still not liking the thought of admitting he was wrong.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled at Kagome's gentle reminder and faced the boy standing before him. "Raiden, was it?" he asked, and the brat—er, kid nodded. "I'm sorry too. For, uh, acting like an asshole Friday and threatening you and shit."

The boy nodded again and looked relieved. "It's cool. You just wanna protect your daughter, right? I get that." Then he smiled and said, "I wanna protect her, too."

Kagome gasped and put a hand over her heart while Izayoi flushed deeply, infinitely pleased, and Inuyasha struggled to not pick his girl up and whisk her away.

So instead he grunted, looked down at the girl in question and asked resignedly, "You said something about going to the store."

Izayoi blinked then her eyes widened and a small, hopeful smile curled her lips upward. She nodded and Inuyasha sighed—again—before looking at Raiden.

The kid met his gaze, unwavering, and satisfied, Inuyasha rumbled, "Have her back by seven. It's still a school night even if I don't wanna scare you off anymore."

"Inuyasha," Kagome chastised, nudging his ribs, and he grunted, unrepentant. It was true, dammit.

Raiden visibly brightened while Izayoi wasted no time in fetching her jacket and hurriedly shrugging it on.

"Yes, sir," he answered and bowed respectfully. "I promise to have her back not even a second later. Thank you, Mr. Taisho. For giving me a chance."

Inuyasha pulled a face. "Don't make me regret," he grumbled called out as his daughter passed him on the way to the door, "Izayoi."

She paused and looked over her shoulder, a mite impatiently, then sighed when he gestured her over to him. He waved to Kagome and she produced their daughter's new phone out of nowhere – more likely she retrieved it from her backpack when no one was looking – and handed it over.

"For my piece of mind," Inuyasha rumbled softly, "so I know you have a way to call me if something happens."

Izayoi smiled in understanding and nodded, taking the device and sliding it into her back pocket. Then she surprised him by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight. Inuyasha glanced at the door, toward Raiden who was patiently waiting and politely looking away, and kneeled down to hug her back, kissing her cheek.

"Happy birthday, babygirl," he whispered.

"Thank you, Daddy," she whispered, pulling back to beam brightly at him and kiss his cheek. "You're the best."

He grinned at her. "I try."

Giggling, Izayoi bid her mother bye as well before hurrying over to Raiden, who smiled at her before looking over toward he parents and giving them a nod and small wave. Then they were walking down the steps, toward the sidewalk, and then Inuyasha's view of them disappeared when Kagome closed the door.

Inuyasha groaned and dragged a hand down his face, suddenly feeling exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to go collapse on the couch and maybe take a nap but a gentle tug on his pants prompted him to look down to find his son staring up at him with big amber eyes, undoubtedly wondering where his sister was and what had just happened.

With a little smile Inuyasha lifted him up into his arms. "Tai," he said and poked his tummy with a finger, "if you ever put me through half the shit your sister does, I'm gonna beat you bloody."

The young half-demon blinked and then giggled. "Okay."

Inuyasha nodded, satisfied. "How about you and me go watch some cartoons and call it a day? Your old man needs a break from life."

"Yeah!" Tai said with a grin, always excited to watch cartoons on the big screen TV.

"You pick. What are we watching?"

"Spiderman!" he crowed, throwing his hands up and Inuyasha grinned.

"Spiderman it is, then."

Watching with an amused smile, Kagome piped up, "Is mom allowed to join or is this a boys only thing?"

She watched as her boys exchanged a speaking look and tried very hard not to laugh when Tai's face screwed up in intense concentration. Then he nodded once, Inuyasha nodded back, and when they turned to her she hoped the amusement was gone from her face.

"You can join, Mama," Tai told her. "You don't have cooties."

Inuyasha choked on his laugh while Kagome said dryly, "Oh, I see. Well that's a relief."

Grinning, Inuyasha lifted an arm and his smiling wife tucked herself against his side. Together the three of them wandered into the living room to watch an animated Spiderman kick evil butt although between Inuyasha and Kagome, they had more fun watching their son reenact his favorite scenes while yelling, "My Spidey senses are tingling!"


	27. Familiar

Nice and short because the last one burned me out lol

 **Spooktober Day 26**

 **Familiar**

Bright and early the next morning and donned in the hated formal attire required for his profession, Inuyasha exited his house carrying his briefcase filled with the proposals and other paperwork he never finished last night. Though he'd much rather prefer to stay in bed with his wife an extra hour, he actually needed to go into work today to attend some boring meetings and apparently his secretary was having a meltdown from all the paperwork she'd gotten pushed onto her. He actually liked this one and didn't want to her quit since she actually did what she was hired to do, so he also wanted to stop by her desk and take some of the load off of her as well.

He checked the time on his phone and decided he had enough time to swing by Starbucks for some java and so digging out the keys from his coat pocket, he swung open the door to his truck, but something black in his peripheral gave him pause and he turned his head to see what it was.

Inuyasha blinked as yellow eyes stared back at him. It was the cat from before, the black one he'd seen when Tai had believed that silly superstition about cracks and breaking backs. Curious, Inuyasha set his case on the driver's seat and watched the feline for a moment. He'd thought it was just a stray since he'd never seen it before but maybe it belonged to someone?

To his surprise the cat abruptly stood up and lazily wandered over to him, tail sticking straight up in the air. Upon closer inspection however the cat's hair was slightly dirty and rougher in some areas, suggesting it spent most of its time outside so maybe it was just a stray.

Inuyasha knelt down and held out a hand. The cat stopped and stared unblinkingly at him, studying him with calm yellow eyes. It inched closer, head down, and sniffed at the hanyou's hand. Before Inuyasha could try and pet him, however, the feline turned and trotted off into the bushes in front of his house.

Inuyasha watched it go. Well, at least it wasn't aggressive so he didn't have to warn Kagome and the kids about it. Shrugging, he stood up and hopped not his vehicle to start his day, thinking he might indulge a little and get a flavor shot with his coffee instead of regular black today.

 **-X-**

At lunch time, Inuyasha decided to take it at home today, the thought of getting away from the chaos at work far to appealing, so he hopped in his truck and drove the ten or so minutes home. With the kids and Kagome at school, nobody would be home so he could enjoy the peace and quiet while he ate a cup of ramen and texted his wife. She took her own lunch around this time too and knew she'd be free to chat for a bit.

Pulling into the driveway, Inuyasha cut the engine and left the keys in the ignition as he opened the door and hopped out. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he grinned, figuring it was probably Kagome and so he fished it out and woke up the screen.

His eyebrows rose in surprise; it wasn't his wife, but his daughter, however he was pleased all the same. As it turned out Izayoi's favorite feature on her new phone was the camera and she'd already taken about a dozen selfies, some with her little brother and mother, and even one with him. That one was his lock screen background, with the home screen being a professional picture of all four of them.

Unpredictably Izayoi had sent him another picture featuring her and Rin making silly faces. The caption read "because reasons" and he had to chuckle.

Opening the side door to his home, Inuyasha suddenly paused, frowned, and for reasons that he couldn't explain, he looked over his shoulder. Sitting on the pathway was a familiar ebony feline, once more sitting calmly and staring at him with great yellow eyes.

"You again," Inuyasha murmured and turned around, sinking onto his haunches. "You certainly like hanging around here, don't you."

The cat blinked and slinked forward, its tail high up with the tip hooked slightly. This time when he held his hand out, the animal sniffed his fingers and then rubbed against his hand, emitting a soft purr. Inuyasha indulged in petting the lean body, absently noting that it didn't seem to be malnourished or anything. It looked healthy enough despite being a little dirty, so it appeared somebody was feeding it. Good to know.

Abruptly done with the pets, the cat turned and trotted away, dismissing him. Inuyasha cocked a brow, shook his head, and entered his home. Weird cat.

 **-X-**

Somehow Inuyasha was not at all surprised that when he pulled into his driveway at 5 pm, the black cat was lounging on the porch steps, its sleek body sprawled out as it lazily stared at the big red truck as he put it in park. Its raven coat looked smoother and cleaner than when he'd last seen it, or maybe that was just from the sun reflecting off of it.

The hanyou raised a single brow, regarded the feline that had apparently taken put residence on his front porch, and mentally shrugged before heading toward the side entrance. Kagome was cooking dinner and from what he could smell it was stir-fry with jasmine rice with a side of pickled radishes. Fuck yes.

"Well, hello there, handsome," a voice purred when he walked through the door and slim arms draped over his shoulders as warm lips pressed against his jaw.

"Hmmm." Inuyasha buried his nose in Kagome's neck and inhaled deeply, rumbling happily as she snagged an ear and rubbed the soft flesh. "Hey yourse—what the fuck?"

Lifting his head, Inuyasha looked down at the sleek black body as it rubbed against his legs, purring madly, then did the same to Kagome before casually strolling across the kitchen and into the living room. It hopped onto the back of the couch where it then proceeded to clean itself in embarrassing places, ignoring everyone.

Inuyasha gaped for a moment then turned his confused gaze to his wife. "What..."

Kagome sighed and suddenly looked very tired. "So we have a cat now."

He blinked. "What the—"

"His name is Vader," Izayoi supplied as she skipped down the stairs with a can of tuna in her hands, Tai hot on her heels.

"...Vader."

"Cause he's black," Tai explained helpfully and sat down on the couch as Izayoi pulled the feline into her lap and let it eat from the can of tuna in her hand. That was when Inuyasha made the belated realization that it was his daughter who had feeding the animal, the sneaky little brat.

Shaking his head, at a complete loss, Inuyasha stared helplessly at Kagome and she could only give an apologetic smile.

"Well...at least we don't need to worry about litter training," she said, obviously trying to be optimistic, but then she sighed and dropped her forehead against his chest.

Feeling like he missed something, Inuyasha could do nothing but stand there, absently patting his wife on the back as he stared at his children and, apparently, their new pet. _Vader_ abruptly lifted his head, licking his chops and purring mightily when two sets of small hands stroked his back, and when it turned big yellow eyes his way, Inuyasha could have sworn that damn cat smiled at him.


	28. Death

A bit more somber than my previous ones, but I like how it turned out.

I would have had this out sooner, but as I was writing this I remembered a quote I saw recently that was truly uplifting and it does make you feel better about a loved one passing, and I wanted to include that in this prompt. Thing was though I can't for the life of me remember what it said, and i don't remember where I saw it, here, FB, or somewhere else, but I couldn't find it and it was driving me freaking CRAZY. In the end I ended up sorta paraphrasing the quote and I hope I did it justice.

 **Spooktober Day 27**

 **Death**

"Mama?"

"Yeah, baby?"

Kagome flicked a brief glance at her son in the backseat of the car through the rearview before looking forward again. Izayoi had opted to walk home with Rin and her friends, however she suspected Raiden was the main driving factor behind that decision.

Tai didn't say anything right away, instead staring out the window with a small frown on his face, and Kagome was just about to ask if something was wrong when he finally spoke again.

"What does it mean to die?"

Definitely not expecting that, Kagome's eyebrows rose up in her bangs and she gave the young half-demon a sharp look through the mirror. Her surprise quickly gave way to confusion mixed with a healthy dose of concern as she stared out the windshield.

"Why do you ask, Tai?" she questioned carefully, reaching to turn off the radio playing on low volume.

Tai bit his lip and revealed, "Mrs. Sennin told us today that Pickles died yesterday." Pickles was their classroom hamster, named as such because of his love for the small stuffed pickle he often slept on. "We went around the classroom and we all said a memory that we had of him. Why did he die, Mama?"

Ooh, boy. "I don't know, sweetie," she said softly, a little sad that the hamster was gone. She knew her son had loved that animal and liked to show him off whenever she came to his classroom. "Did Mrs. Sennin mention if he was sick or anything like that?"

"No," her son admitted, his little brow puckering in thought. "Just that it was his time to go over the rainbow bridge. Is that where we'll go when we die, Mama? Over the rainbow bridge?"

Oh god. She wasn't ready to have this conversation with her five-year-old son alone. She needed Inuyasha to help her with this. She needed her mom. _She needed Pickles_ , goddammit.

"Tai..." Kagome grimaced and turned onto their street. "I wish I could give you a straight answer, but the truth is, I don't know. Death has been a mystery for a very long time; nobody truly knows what happens when you die. Some people believe you're reincarnated into another person, while others believe you go to Heaven or Hell. I suppose in a way it all boils down to religion and what your beliefs are."

Tai digested that in silence as Kagome pulled into their driveway and cut the engine. Feeling a little out of sorts, Kagome exited and got Tai out of his booster seat, letting him hop down to the ground. She grabbed his backpack and followed after him into the house, a worried frown marring her features.

The five-year-old kicked off his shoes and Kagome knelt in front of him with a gentle smile, pushing back his bangs.

"Why don't you take your things upstairs and change into some comfy clothes? If you want I can bring you up a snack and some juice."

Tai nodded and wordlessly did as he was bade, grabbing his bag and dragging it behind him as he headed toward the stairs. Up he went, barely tall enough to hold on to the railing, reaching the landing a second later and disappearing from view.

Kagome sighed and racked a hand through her hair, at a complete loss. She had no idea how to handle this and she doubted Inuyasha did, either. It was a delicate subject, especially when discussing with a five-year-old whose still developing brain had trouble grasping particular matters.

"Goddammit, Pickles," Kagome muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Goddammit _Mrs. Sennin_. Why on _earth_ you didn't just buy a new hamster to replace the dead one so a class of kindergartners wouldn't ask questions, I have _no_ idea..."

 **-X-**

Kagome was sitting at the bar counter drinking a cup of coffee and mindlessly scrolling social media when Inuyasha walked through the door. As per usual Vader came zooming in from the living room to greet him, purring loudly as he rubbed against the half-demon's legs, and despite her glum mood, Kagome had to smile. For whatever reason that cat loved her husband and it was totally endearing.

Inuyasha kicked off his shoes and obligingly took a moment to say hello to the new member of their family, scratching his neck, and satisfied Vader strolled away, strolling toward the stairs to no doubt lounge on Izayoi's bed while the girl in question did her homework and texted Raiden. She always said she wasn't but her parents weren't stupid; her blush was telling and she always looked way too innocent whenever they checked in on her.

Sighing Inuyasha stood, glanced at his wife, and immediately frowned. Though she was smiling it didn't reach her eyes and instantly he knew something was wrong.

"Hey," she greeted softly. "How was work?"

His frown deepened. "Fine," he answered shortly quickly followed by, "What happened?"

Kagome sighed. Her husband was too damn perceptive sometimes, but at least this time she didn't particularly mind it. Saved her the trouble of finding a way to bring it up, anyway.

"Tai's classroom hamster died yesterday," she supplied, not bothering to beat around the bush. "He asked me what it means to die and where we go when we do."

Inuyasha's eyebrows rose, not expecting that. "Well...shit."

She nodded mutely. Her thoughts exactly.

Sighing, Inuyasha racked a hand through his hair and frowned thoughtfully. "What'd you tell him?"

Kagome took a sip of her coffee. "Death is a mystery that no one truly understands and it all boils down to what your beliefs are, basically. I didn't know what _else_ to say." She shrugged.

Her husband snorted. "Well, you're not wrong. I don't think there really is a right or wrong answer, to be honest."

"I wanted to lie," Kagome admitted, staring into the dark contents of her mug. "He's too young, too innocent to deal with something as cruel as death. But...he's my baby, and I couldn't..."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped, looking about ready to cry, and Inuyasha closed the distance between them to wrap his arms around her from behind. Kagome leaned back into him and closed her eyes as he kissed her behind the ear.

"I'll talk to him," he rumbled, nuzzling her temple. "Let's do delivery for dinner. Easy night tonight."

Kagome managed a smile, small but genuine, and turned her head to press her lips to his in a loving, chaste kiss.

"Best idea you've had in a while," she whispered.

"I get them sometimes," Inuyasha replied and was rewarded with his wife's soft chuckle. He kissed her one last time, squeezed her middle, and then pulled away to go see to his son. He followed his nose up the stairs and down the hall to Tai's room, and to his surprise both of his children were inside and not just his son.

Curious, Inuyasha paused outside his the room and peeked inside the cracked door, ears easily picking up their soft voices. Izayoi was sitting on Tai's bed with him, crossed legged as she talked while Tai sat across from her, his eyes wide as he listened attentively to his older sister.

It was what she was saying, however, that really surprised him, and his face softened as a warm feeling settled over him like a blanket, a proud smile lifting the corners of his lips.

"I'll be damned," he murmured, shaking his head with a quiet chuckle.

About ten minutes later Kagome was just getting off the phone with their favorite pizzeria to have a large pizza and an order of wings delivered when Tai came trotting down the stairs, Izayoi and Inuyasha in tow. Heart in her throat, she smiled and set the phone back in its cradle, watching as her youngest came into the kitchen, walked right up to her, reached up with his little arms and hugged her around the waist.

Surprised, but pleased, Kagome knelt to make it easier and gathered her boy into her arms, kissing his head between his ears.

"You won't die," Tai said, leaning back to gaze imploringly at her with big amber eyes. "Right, Mama?"

Kagome swallowed thickly and managed a smile for him, stroking his hair.

"Not for a very, very long time, baby," she assured and kissed his forehead. "I promise I'll always be here for you. So will your father and sister."

To her utter relief, Tai beamed at her and nodded, accepting her words with an ease that surprised her, but appreciated all the same.

"Kay," he said and gave her a big kiss to her cheek. "Love you, Mama."

"I love you too, baby," Kagome breathed, hugging him tight. "So much."

Tai started squirming a few seconds later to let her know that was enough hugging and reluctantly Kagome released him. Inuyasha ruffled his hair as he walked by and together they watched their son and daughter wander into the living room, plopping down on to the couch – Vader not far behind – and turn on some cartoons.

While she stared into the living room in mixture of relief and confusion, her husband ambled over, nudged himself behind her where she was leaning against the counter, and snaked his arms around her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What did you say to him?" she asked softly, wondering what he could have possibly told their youngest to inspire this change. It was a relief, but still...how...?

Inuyasha smiled lazily. "Not a damn thing."

Kagome blinked. "You didn't...?"

"When I got to his room," he started, "Izayoi was already there talking to him. She beat me to the punch, and I couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth. She told him just because Pickles was gone doesn't mean his love for the animal was, and some other pretty deep shit I had no idea she was capable of, but then she said something that's actually pretty uplifting and wise coming from someone her age."

"What did she say?" Kagome whispered, her eyes once more drifting to their babies sitting side by side on the couch, giggling as they watched whatever animated show they'd chosen.

Inuyasha didn't answer right away and when he did several seconds later, is voice was rough and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"She said, 'Your loss means that another's wait is over' and that just...it hit me, y'know? The thought that someone that's gone gets to see a loved one again...it makes it a little easier to bear, I think."

Unbidden tears sprang to Kagome's eyes and her smile was watery, but genuine and very proud. She thought about her grandmother, waiting for Gramps; her dad, waiting for Mom, and she knew Inuyasha was thinking about his parents, waiting for him.

Inuyasha tightened his arms around her and kissed her cheek; he could smell her tears and knew what she was thinking.

"Yes," she whispered and reached up to cradle his jaw in her hand, turning her head and closing her eyes as he rested his forehead against her own.

"I think it does, too."


	29. (Half)Demons

sorry this is a week late. I ended up moving last Monday on the 28th and since then I've literally had no time to sit down and write because I've been so busy unpacking, organizing, and making my new house habitable lol. I've been exhausted too so I didn't _want_ to write when I did have the time so that didn't help matters. anyway, i know it's November now, but I'm still gonna get the last few chapters out regardless. I really want to finish this series and i hope you guys still want to read it even though Halloween is over. ^^; Thanks for sticking around this long!

 **Spooktober Day 28**

 **(Half)Demons**

Izayoi frowned down at her phone as a soft growl of irritation welled in her throat. She'd gotten the first text fifteen minutes ago, but had ignored it since it was probably just Rin exclaiming her excitement for the twenty-seventh time about her and Kohaku's matching costumes. Then the second one came in and figuring if she didn't answer it now, her cousin would no doubt blow up her phone until she did, and so she'd resignedly pulled it out of her pocket. She hadn't even had the darned thing for a full week yet and already Rin was taking full advantage. Jeez.

Rereading the text she'd just received, Izayoi found herself wishing that it _had_ been Rin. Man, why did _she_ have to be born first?

"What's up?" Raiden asked, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets and glancing at the device in her hand.

Heaving a sigh as her ears lowered on her head, the young half-demon stashed her phone in her jacket pocket and sent the dark-haired dog demon an apologetic grimace.

"My mom texted me," she explained, wrinkling her nose. "I guess she's working late today and can't take Tai home so she asked me to pick him up at his school."

Raiden's eyebrows rose as he nodded in understanding. "I see," he mumbled, his brow furrowing slightly. He'd been looking forward to walking her home, but now it seemed that wouldn't be happening.

Izayoi detected the disappointment in his tone and felt even worse. She'd been looking forward to walking home with him too.

"Sorry, Raiden," she murmured and offered an apologetic smile. "I really wanted to walk with you."

Raiden sighed and then shrugged, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. "No biggie. The curse of being the older sibling, I guess. I'm glad I'm the only child."

Then he grinned and Izayoi grinned back, glad he didn't seem too upset about it.

"Yeah, rub it in, why don't you?" she cheeked and he laughed, unrepentant. Rolling her eyes but not without a smile, Izayoi stepped a little closer and said, "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Raiden promised with one of his easy grins, his eyes soft as he gazed down at the golden-eyed girl before him. He really did like her eyes...like buttercups in the sunshine...

Before she lost her nerve, Izayoi leaned up on her toes and brushed a light kiss across his cheek. Her face was red when she pulled away and backed up a step, but her smile was soft and genuine.

"See you tomorrow, Rai," she murmured and had to giggle at the look on his face, like the cat that ate the canary. She truly admired how unashamed he was, his confidence a refreshing change after dealing with Daisuke's arrogance for so long.

"Later, buttercup," Raiden said as he started walking backwards. "I'll text you."

Beaming, Izayoi nodded and watched as her crush tipped her a two-fingered salute before turning around and walking off, his gait lazy and sure.

Izayoi sighed dreamily. God, she was hopeless.

Heaving a sigh, the young half-demon wrinkled her nose, rolled her eyes, then turned around and reluctantly headed toward her kid brother's school, grumbling under her breath about the unfairness of being the older sibling.

Despite her unwillingness, however, she didn't dawdle or take her time on the walk to the elementary school seven minutes away from her own. Both of her parents would have her hide if she intentionally left Tai alone for any length of time, and if her irresponsibility caused something to happen to her younger brother... Well, she could say bye-bye to her brand new phone, taking to Rai outside of school, and any social life whatsoever.

"My life sucks," Izayoi grumbled as she walked through the school's entrance gate. The busses had already left so now it was just various vehicles parked in the bus loop and parking from parents picking up their children.

Pausing before the double doors that led inside, Izayoi frowned as she scanned the front courtyard, searching for a flash of silver or her brother's obnoxiously colored Spiderman backpack. When she didn't spot – why wasn't he out front like Mom said he would be? – she took a few sniffs of the air to see if she could catch his scent—and was not expecting to find a trail that led toward the left of the building.

Rolling her eyes – jeez, why didn't he ever _listen?_ – Izayoi sighed and trudged in that direction, grumbling under her breath about annoying little brothers and their habits of wandering off on their own. She rounded the corner and was just about to call out for him, but then she stopped short at the sight that greeted her and her jaw clicked shut as her ears pinned low on her head.

There was her younger brother alright, however he wasn't alone. Several other kids were surrounding him, looking slightly older but not by much, and a few discreet sniffs of the air told her all of them were human. They were kicking around his backpack and laughing as Tai tried to get it back, taking advantage of his small stature.

Every protective instinct that Izayoi harbored instantly roared to life and she growled low as a scowl that her father would have been proud of twisted her features. Clenching her fists, Izayoi stormed forward, Big Sister Mode activated and ready to teach these little punks a lesson. _Nobody_ messed with _her_ little brother! Especially weak little humans that liked to bully those smaller than them.

"Hey, you brats!" Izayoi called out once she was near enough, watching as the human kids paused their bullying and turned to watch her approach. "What do you think you're doing to my brother? Get lost!"

At the sight of his big sister, Tai's eyes widened and he sniffled as hope bloomed in his chest. His big sis was here now! She'd make the mean kids ago away, he was sure of it!

The human kids, only a grade or two above Tai, all sneered at the half-breed coming toward them. They weren't afraid of her!

"Go away, half-breed," what appeared to be the oldest kid said, glaring at Izayoi as she came to a stop a little ways away, hands on her hips. "Can't you see we're busy?"

The other bullies chorused with a "Yeah!" and nodded their heads. One of them grabbed Tai's bag before he could reach it and held it above his head, using the advantage of height.

Izayoi rolled her eyes and pinned the brat with a glower. " _Please_. The only thing I see is a bunch of annoying little brats bullying someone smaller than them. Too bad for you he happens to be my brother, and _I'm_ the only one allowed to bully him. So do yourself a favor, give him back his bag, and beat it. You're wasting my time."

Unsurprisingly the punks did not heed her words and turned to face her instead. That was fine; their attention was off of Tai, which was what her intention was anyway. Tai dove for his bag, grabbed it, and then scrambled toward his big sister, hiding behind her legs. Izayoi didn't spare him a glance.

The leader of the little group – Izayoi placed him to be about eight years old or so – sneered at her again, unimpressed.

" _You're_ a waste of time," he snapped back, smirking when his lackey's all snickered behind him. " _My_ dad said that half-breeds are complete waste of space. That they're infer—infear—that humans _and_ demons are _better_ than them. So you can't tell me what to do!"

Izayoi snorted and crossed her arms, cocking a brow as she leaned her weight on one leg and jutted a hip to the side.

"Oh, really?" she drawled. "Well you're dad's an idiot because he clearly doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Says you!" one of the brats behind the kid piped up and tried to appear brave when Izayoi turned her golden glare his way. He paled slightly but continued in a less stronger voice, "M- _my_ dad says that half-breeds are lowly a-and unnatural because they can't do things that regular demons can do."

The half-demon narrowed her eyes for a fleeting moment and then schooled her expression, looking unconcerned. Her right ear flicked as she gathered her thoughts, and then she shrugged, indifferent.

"Your dad's an idiot too," she said matter-of-factly and refrained from smirking at the offended look that crossed the brat's face. "Or maybe they're just lying to your faces about us. They're probably just jealous, and I mean, really, I don't blame them."

And as she knew it would, the curiosity on each kid's face was unmistakable and she refrained from grinning in triumph. She also wasn't surprised to see the suspicion cross the older brat's face and quickly prepared what she was going to say.

"Why would they be jealous of _half_ - _breeds_?" he asked, his tone implying the thought was ludicrous.

 _Hook, line, sinker._

"Oh, you don't know?" Izayoi asked in a falsely innocent tone, raising both of her eyebrows and ignoring Tai's look of confusion he sent her. She shrugged and explained, "Sure, demons can do some stuff we can't, but at least _we_ can stay out in the sun longer than ten minutes at a time."

The little brats all looked completely baffled and started whispering to each other; Izayoi's ears easily picked up their quiet mutters of "for real?" and "no way, that can't be true! ...Is it?"

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

The older one still looked unconvinced, his face screwed up into a disbelieving pout. Izayoi met his stare head on and if her parents had been watching at that moment, it would have been obvious she picked up a trait or two from her Uncle Sess.

"Are you telling the truth?" the kid asked and crossed his arms. "How come we've never heard about this before?"

Izayoi scoffed. "What, like we're just gonna go around sharing all our secrets? Please. And of course it's true. Unlike your father, _mine_ teaches us never to lie."

Lie.

The brat still looked skeptical, so Izayoi tacked on, "We can eat garlic too, unlike demons. I love garlic bread."

"Wait a minute," one short kid in the back piped up, looking utterly puzzled. "Isn't that vampires? They can't go out in the sun or eat garlic, either."

Izayoi stared at him blankly for a beat and then her mouth stretched into a big, fang-bearing smirk. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't satisfied by how several of the kids backed away with wide eyes.

"Where do you think those rumors _started_ from?" she stated, folding her arms across her chest and looking _quite_ smug.

As the brats all gasped and looked at each other in astonishment, Izayoi continued, "So now you know that hanyous are clearly superior than humans _and_ demons. Tai here was just choosing not to fight back because he'd probably hurt you scrawny little humans with his hanyou strength. Right, Tai?"

Playing along, Tai giggled and said, "Right!"

Nodding, Izayoi's smirk abruptly faded and she pinned each little brat with a hard stare. "So now that we've established who here is _inferior_ ," she said, purposely emphasizing that word as a snub toward the brat that couldn't pronounce it, "I think you lot should beat it before I _show_ you just how much better we hanyous are compared to you humans."

When the kids hesitated, Izayoi shrugged and studied her claws with an air of indifference as she added absently, "Or, you know, I can always tell Principal Yuudai about you brats harassing my little brother. Isn't he a _bat_ demon? I'm sure he'd _love_ to expand his legion of the undead—"

As one the kids all shrieked and booked it, abandoning their bullying and running away as fast as their little legs could carry them.

Izayoi scowled. "Good riddance," she muttered then without sparing her brother a look she said, "C'mon, Tai, we need to go."

Hitching her bag higher onto her shoulder, the older half-demon started walking away, ears flicking back when she heard light footsteps padding behind her. She slowed her pace so he could catch up and the two of them walked in silence as Izayoi led the way out the front gate.

Ears low on his head and biting his lip, Tai snuck a glance up at his older sister, big amber eyes shining with his gratitude.

"Izzy?" he said and his sister hummed in acknowledgment. "Thank you for coming to get me. And getting rid of those mean kids."

And just like that, Izayoi's uncaring front faded and she sighed before stopping in her tracks. Tai stopped too and looked hesitant as she knelt before him, a frown marring her features.

"You were _supposed_ to be waiting by the front doors, Tai," Izayoi stated, her tone chastising. "How did that even _happen?_ "

When all her younger brother did was avert his gaze and look uncomfortable, she sighed again.

"Look, I'm not always gonna be around to shoo away the bad guys," she explained, slightly exasperated. "You're a _half_ - _demon_ , Tai. Those were _humans_. You can't let them get away with bullying you just because they're a little bigger."

"I know," Tai murmured, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the pavement.

Izayoi studied her sibling for a moment and then her expression softened and a little smile curled her lips upward.

"Hey," she murmured and reached up to flick his ear. Tai peeked up at her and she said, "I'm your big sis. It's my job to protect you, runt. But in exchange, I need you to do something for me too, okay?"

Curious, Tai lifted his head and nodded, his little ears perking up again.

Her smile widened. "The next time that happens, don't let them get away with saying stuff like that. We're _half-demon's_ , Tai. We should be _proud_ of what we are, because we got the best of _both_ worlds. Those brats probably really _were_ jealous that we can do things they can't. I bet you're the fastest boy in gym class, right?"

Golden eyes identical to her own widened and a small smile appeared on his face as Tai nodded.

"See?" she said and poked his cheek. Tai giggled. "They only _wish_ they could be as fast as you. So it's not a bad thing to be a half-demon, Tai. I know Mom and Dad will tell you the same thing. We're strong, we're fast—what's not to like?"

Beaming now, Tai nodded eagerly and then suddenly he launched himself at her, wrapping his tiny arms around her neck and hugging her for all he was worth.

"Thanks, Izzy," Tai murmured into her shoulder as she automatically returned her kid brother's embrace. "You're my favorite big sister."

"I'm your _only_ big sister, squirt," Izayoi laughed and tweaked his ear again. Gently pulling away, she grinned down at her brother and said, "Now let's go. I'm sure Aunt Sango has some pumpkin spice hot chocolate waiting for us and if we're lucky, some rice krispy treats."

She hated pumpkin anything, but she knew her little brother loved it, something he inherited from their mother while she received more of their dad's tastes.

Tai's eyes widened and he looked hopeful as he asked, "With marshmallows?"

" _Big_ marshmallows," Izayoi assured and stood up, allowing her kid brother to take her hand. "Ready, Tai-Tai?"

Beaming at his big sister, Tai nodded eagerly and squeezed her hand.

"Ready, Izzy!"

"Good. Now let's get some hot chocolate and rice krispy treats! And I dunno about you, but I _really_ want a hot cup of ramen."


	30. Biggest Fears

i tweaked the prompt for this one; originally it was darkest fears, but i thought fuck it and made it biggest fears because honestly who the hell cares anymore i want this fucking thinG DONE.

 **Spooktober Day 29**

 **Biggest Fears**

"Mama! Are you watching?!"

"I'm watching, honey," Kagome called back to her son from her place on the park bench, lifting her head to put truth to her words and watch as he disappeared inside the brightly colored tube slide then reappear at the bottom, grinning and giddy.

Smiling as her youngest laughed and zipped toward the ladder to slide down the, well, slide, once again, Kagome waved to show she was watching and then shifted her gaze to search for her daughter. Izayoi hadn't moved from her location on the swings, surrounded by Rin and her friends as they chatted and ignored all the little kids and grownups around them. Unsurprisingly Raiden and Kohaku along with a few other boys she didn't immediately recognize weren't far away, roughhousing with each other like boys do and generally just having a good time being kids. It was heartwarming and Kagome was glad her daughter had such good friends.

Checking on Tai to find him at the bottom of the slide playing with some other children his age, Kagome felt her phone buzz in her hand and dropped her gaze to read the newest text, secure in the fact that her children were safe.

 _what r u wearing?_

Kagome snorted loudly and quickly typed her reply.

 _new phone who dis_

 _oh shit don't tell my wife_

She laughed aloud that time and couldn't stop the stupid grin from spreading as she responded.

 _That you're a no good cheating mutt?_

 _u spelled charming and sexy wrong_

 _Your wife is a saint._

 _yeah i kno, dunno why she puts up with me_

 _You make pretty babies._

 _is that all?_

Kagome bit her lip to stifle the urge to giggle madly. _Well okay you might have one or two uses_ …

 _oh yeah? care to enlighten this no good mutt?_

 _Liiiiiiike…killing all the spiders :)_

 _not really what i was thinking tbh_

She snickered, an impish grin curling her lips upward. _Oh no? well what other uses do you have other than jar opener and resident Tall Person among the Short People_

 _think real hard baby_ 👅🐈

Shoulders shaking in silent laughter, Kagome swiftly typed up her response and she could practically hear his exaggerated groan.

 _Why are you licking the cat? Do I need to call animal services or_

Hitting send, she sat back with a rather smug grin on her lips and waited. Only a minute or so passed before her phone buzzed and this time she burst out laughing at his predictable reply.

 _fucks sake woman ur damn lucky u ain't here right now_

Cackling gleefully, Kagome typed, _OOOOOHHH okay I think I got it now..._

A minute passed. Then _, i swear to god wench_

Kagome felt positively devilish as she sent her response, the contents of which being three emojis.

🍆🍆🍆.

Her husband's reply was instantaneous and there was no mistaking the proud grin that spread across her features as she read it.

😂 _god i fucking love u_

 _I know_ 😘

"...Kagome...?"

"Hm?" Turning her head with a smile, Kagome opened her mouth to greet whoever it was that said her name. Her gaze landed on a slim figure standing a little uncertainly next to the bench, and when caramel brown collided with twin pools of familiar cinnamon, Kagome gasped.

"K-Kikyou?"

Relief flitted across the woman's face and she offered a friendly, if a bit awkward smile. "So it _is_ you. It's...been a while."

Kagome was too dumbstruck to do anything but stare and nod, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted in shock.

Kikyou's smile faded somewhat and she shifted on her feet, looking a bit uncomfortable. She glanced at the playground, glanced at Kagome, and then hesitantly asked, "May I...?"

She gestured to the bench Kagome was seated on and finally snapping out of her shock, the other woman shook her head and gave a strained smile as she wordlessly scooted over to make room.

While she said a quiet thank you and settled beside her, Kagome thought to herself that her formal rival hadn't changed a bit. Still drop dead gorgeous with the same sleek black hair, model-perfect body, slender legs, and a flawless complexion Kagome had always been jealous of. She looked older, of course, but she had aged extremely well and didn't look a day over twenty.

Sitting back with a sigh and crossing one leg over the other, Kikyou rested her hands in her lap and offered another smile. It was small but genuine with perhaps a bit of uncertainty, and her brown eyes held a wealth of burgeoning hope that had Kagome suddenly remember her and Inuyasha's conversation on their deck the night she'd come knocking on their door.

Having absolutely no idea what to say, Kagome managed to return the smile before looking away, cursing herself for the awkwardness that settled between them. No doubt Kikyou could feel it too because she didn't say anything, allowing the silence between them to grow until Kagome felt like you could cut the tension with a knife.

God, what did you even _say_ to your husband's former high school flame that had tried to sabotage your relationship before up and vanishing to another freaking country?

Kikyou sighed and looked toward the playground, hating this tension between them, but unsure of how to clear it. A flash of silver caught her attention and automatically her eyes sought it out, lighting on a child with sterling silver hair and very familiar dog ears that strongly hinted at who his father was.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Is that your boy?" she asked softly, nodding toward the toddler as he chased after a cute little girl with brown pigtails.

Blinking, Kagome followed her gaze her and face softened, instantly finding him among the laughing, playing children.

"Yes," she answered, her smile warm as she watched her son play. "That's Tai. Five years old and a complete handful, but I wouldn't have him any other way."

Kikyou sighed and it was a little wistful, but her tone held neither contempt nor jealousy as she commented, "He looks just like him."

It was obvious who she was talking about and Kagome's smile broadened slightly.

"He definitely has his looks," she agreed, "but thankfully that's all he inherited. All of his _attitude_ , on the other hand _,_ went straight to his first born."

Kikyou grinned. "Is she here?"

Kagome nodded toward the swings where her daughter and her friends had claimed for themselves. The girls were swinging now with the boys pushing them and their peals of laughter were pleasant as the sound drifted over to them.

"Oooh," Kikyou murmured, brown eyes glinting knowingly. "His looks _and_ his temper? Tell me, how many broken hearts has she left in her wake?"

Kagome laughed. "More like broken _noses_." At Kikyou's look, akin to confused alarm, she smiled wryly and explained, "Remember Kouga? Well, unsurprisingly his son is a _lot_ like his father and he's been chasing Izayoi for a while now. Not too long ago his posturing went a little too far and, well…" She shrugged. "Let's just say my girl is _more_ than capable of taking care of herself."

Amused, Kikyou's eyebrows rose into the fridge of her bangs as a little smile flirted with her lips. "She is her father's daughter," she commented, perhaps a little somberly.

Kagome's smile dimmed a little and she nodded, her gaze drifting to the girl in question.

"Yes," she breathed, and the two fell into another awkward silence as they watched the children play. Tai was on the jungle gym now and showing off his hanyou skills to the awe-struck human tykes. They were both 100% their father's children, and Kagome wouldn't want them any other way.

"Kagome," Kikyou suddenly said on a sigh and said woman turned her attention to the figure beside her. "May I be frank with you?"

Having a good idea where this was headed, Kagome sucked in a sharp breath and nodded wordlessly.

Kikyou flashed her a quick smile of thanks before shifting on the bench so she was more or less facing her. Kagome did the same, figuring the least she could do as give the other woman her full attention, however she still made it a point to keep an ear and eye out on her children.

"I won't insult you by beating around the bush," Kikyou began, doing the other woman the courtesy of looking directly into her eyes. "And I'm not expecting everything to just be okay after this, but for what it's worth, Kagome…I _am_ truly sorry. For how I acted, for what happened, for what I put the three of us through…for everything."

Kagome swallowed thickly and said nothing, sensing her companion wasn't finished.

"I realize now that my behavior was immature and inexcusable," Kikyou continued, confirming Kagome's suspicion. She smiled bitterly and dropped her gaze to her lap.

"For years I've harbored the guilt of how things ended between us and I suppose it's not very fair that I ask for your forgiveness, _and_ Inuyasha's, for what I did. But, here I am."

She shrugged and Kagome's heart went out to her. All this time, for over ten years… She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to bear the heaviness of guilt for so long.

"Kikyou…" Kagome began but the woman shook her head. Kagome forced herself to remain quiet, fisting her hands in her lap.

"I was scared," she admitted, much to Kagome's surprise. "As a teenager, my world was rather simple and it consisted of three things: shopping, my friends, and…the boy I liked." Kikyou lifted her gaze and found Kagome's again.

"So, when Inuyasha started showing interest in another girl—in _you_ —I was terrified and I did things that I am not proud of. And I realize the irony only now, years later when I am an adult with a mortgage and a husband, of how much of a fool I truly was."

"You can't pin the entire blame on yourself, Kikyou," Kagome said, her voice rough, unable to stay quiet any longer. "We were _all_ young and did things we regret. We all made…not very smart decisions, and we let our emotions get the best of us." She paused. Then, "I was scared too, you know."

Closing her eyes and releasing a shaky sigh, Kagome bit down on her lip as she gathered her thoughts, a slight frown creasing her brow. Kikyou patiently waited, holding her breath, her cinnamon eyes holding a smidgen of hope that not all was lost.

"When things started getting really complicated," Kagome began, "My biggest fear at the time was that Inuyasha would get tired of it all—the drama, the fighting, the misunderstandings—and just…decide it wasn't worth his time anymore. I was scared he'd not only write me off, but forget me entirely and move on with his life without me and I remember how I cried myself to sleep sometimes, thinking about it all."

Kikyou swallowed thickly and rasped, "You must have hated me."

Kagome was silent for a beat and then admitted in a whisper, "I did."

Kikyou closed her eye and nodded. She wasn't surprised. Because she hated herself, too, for what she did.

"But," the mother of two continued and Kikyou's eyes fluttered open, the breath caught in her throat. "I also envied you, Kikyou."

At the woman's completely baffled look, Kagome had to smile before elaborating, "You can't tell me you didn't notice how completely torn Inuyasha was. He didn't want to hurt either of us by picking one over the other so it was obvious to me he still cared for you. And I asked myself, why? Why would he still care for someone who's put us through so much torment and gave us nothing but grief? I was jealous. I didn't _want_ him to care for you; I wanted all of his attention for myself, for him to pick _me_ , and forget _you_ , and I absolutely _hated_ the fact that you had something with him that I didn't."

Kikyou frowned as she tried to determine just what that could be and Kagome's expression softened. She used to think that her former rival in love was vindictive and knew exactly what she was doing the entire time. Now she realized that she had just been a desperate and brokenhearted girl, fighting to keep her first love's affection for herself.

Perhaps she and her husband's old high school flame had been more alike that she'd originally thought.

Kikyou was still looking lost so Kagome finally explained, "Thinking back on it now it's petty, and I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but I envied you, Kikyou, because you knew him longer than I did. You had memories with him that I didn't. You got to see every side of him before I did, got to know him before me, and it drove me _crazy_ knowing that _you_ were his first kiss, and I wasn't."

The freelance writer digested that in silence, her eyes a little wide in wonder. She'd never realized that was how Kagome had felt. But then again, she'd never taken the time to really understand, had she? No, her only goal had been to get Inuyasha back by any means, uncaring who she hurt in the process, and that was one of her biggest regrets.

Sighing, Kagome finally smiled, and though it was small, it was genuine as she locked gazes with her formal rival and decided it was time to extent the olive branch. They were both adults now, with husbands and a career; it was time to put the past behind them and make a fresh start.

"Thank you for apologizing, Kikyou," Kagome said sincerely, glad they'd had this conversation. "And I'll gladly accept it, but only if you accept mine, too."

Kikyou blinked in surprise and Kagome shrugged. "I wasn't exactly a saint either. I said some pretty hurtful things to you, Kikyou, things I didn't mean, and I definitely wasn't my best self. I could have ignored you and not add fuel to the fire by taking your bait, but I didn't, and I'm sure it didn't help matters. In fact I made them worse, and then graduation came around, nothing was resolved, and then suddenly you left and Inuyasha was devastated because he didn't get to say goodbye."

Unbidden tears sprang to Kikyou's eyes and she blinked rapidly, fluttering a hand over her mouth. She definitely had not been expecting that.

Kagome gave a wavering smile and reached out to take Kikyou's hand in her own. Stunned, the other woman let her, staring down at their hands in a combination of wonder and confusion.

"See, Kikyou," she murmured, throat feeling tight with emotion. "I've been dealing with guilt too, because if I hadn't been so selfish in wanting all of his attention for myself, maybe he would have had the chance to talk to you before you left and things wouldn't have gone unresolved for so long.

"But you're here now," she continued, eyes bright with unshed tears and her smile broadening. "And you were brave enough to approach me first asking for forgiveness, and I'm giving it to you now. Will you forgive me too, Kikyou? For being a selfish brat and denying you two the closure you so desperately needed?"

Kikyou gave a choked laugh and wiped her eyes with her free hand, a smile curving the corners of her lips upward.

"Look at us," she rasped. "Two grown women blubbering on a public park bench about events that happened in high school."

Kagome giggled and reached up to dab at her own eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. "Inuyasha always did tease us that we were too emotional," she said and they shared a laugh, both of them no doubt thinking about how he'd be freaking out right now if he saw them.

Relieved and so utterly grateful, Kikyou got herself together in short order and beamed at Kagome, taking her hand and holding it between both of hers. She squeezed, drawing Kagome's attention.

"Of course I forgive you, Kagome," she said and laughed lightly at Kagome's relieved sigh. "We were young and dumb—"

"And full of c—"

"Ohmigawd, don't say it!" Kikyou squeaked and Kagome snickered, eyes flashing with glee as she covered her grinning mouth with a hand. Kikyou relented and dissolved into giggles as well and the two of them sat there laughing quietly, feeling comfortable, all previous awkwardness completely vanished.

"And full of the cafeteria's awful _Mystery Meat_ ," Kikyou finished with a grin and elicited an indelicate snort from an equally grinning Kagome. "And maybe it was that dreadful concoction of questionable food the school fed us or something else entirely that made us act the way we did—"

"Teenage hormones?" Kagome put in.

"I was thinking PMS," Kikyou opined and once more the two giggled quietly together before the writer continued, "But now it's in the past, we've realized the mistakes we've made, so now I'd love to say let us let bygones be bygones and finally put the whole thing behind us."

Relieved, Kagome smiled and gently tugged her hand from Kikyou's before extending it.

"A clean slate," she announced and felt something loosen in her chest when the other woman without hesitation clasped her hand. "And a fresh start. I like the sound of that."

Feeling like she was going to break down and cry all over again, Kikyou gave a trembling smile, squeezed Kagome's hand, and breathed, "Me, too."

Half an hour later, after making plans for the four of them – Kikyou, Kagome, and their respective husbands – to meet up for lunch this weekend, the two women bid each other a fond farewell and went their separate ways. Kagome collected her children and started the fifteen-minute walk home, trailing behind them on the sidewalk and watching with a small smile as her daughter and niece swung Tai back and forth between them. Raiden, Kohaku and their friends left to head home as well, and Kagome had pretended not to notice Raiden tug Izayoi aside to whisper something in her ear before kissing her cheek and leaving the half-demon in a blissful state of euphoria.

As Tai's laughter rang out in the crisp October air, Kagome smiled and pulled out her phone, bringing up her messaging app with a few taps of a finger.

 _Inuyasha._

Only thirty seconds or so passed before he responded; he never kept her waiting and it was one of the many things Kagome loved about him.

 _what's up baby_

Feeling warm all over as her heart burst with affection for her husband, Kagome quickly typed her response, a mere three words.

 _I love you._

She didn't wait for his response; closing the app, Kagome brought up the keypad and dialed a familiar number before bringing the phone to her ear. When her mother didn't answer, however, she wrinkled her nose and tried another number.

"Hey, Sango," she said when her friend picked up. "Listen, would you mind watching the kids for an hour or two? I want—" She paused as her friend interrupted and her eyebrows slowly lifted into her bangs as an amused smile lifted the corners of her lips.

"Oh…he did? And Miroku agreed? I see. Yes, don't worry, everything's fine. It's just…well…I had an interesting chat with someone and I just…I dunno, I want to spend a little time alone with him, is all.

"Not right now," she said apologetically as her house came into view. "I promise to call you tomorrow though, and tell you everything, okay? Trust me, you're gonna need a glass of wine for this conversation. Or two."

Kagome laughed at Sango's begrudging agreement to wait and with a promise to see her tomorrow, the school teacher hung up and pocketed her phone, increasing her pace to lay a hand on her children's shoulders and quietly tell them to head to Sango and Miroku's house. She assured them everything was okay at their questions and she just wanted to talk to their father alone for a bit. Izayoi still looked unconvinced, however she nodded and waited for Tai to hug his mother before taking his hand and leading him across the street to their aunt and uncle's house. Rin waved and jogged down the street to her own house, and Kagome watched for only a minute before turning and going home to her husband.

The house was quiet when she entered through the side door and she was shrugging out of her coat when two arms suddenly snaked around her waist and a mouth dropped to her neck. Kagome smiled and leaned back against him, reaching up to slide her hand into his hair and find a soft ear, rubbing the flesh gently. She was rewarded by a low growl reverberating against her back and a sharp nip to the ear that had her gasping as her heart beat a rapid tattoo in her chest.

Turning around, Kagome lifted her chin in time to receive her husband's hungry kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he effortlessly swept her up into his arms. She gasped, he growled, and with a shared, intimate smile, Inuyasha carried his wife upstairs to their bedroom, murmuring against her lips how much he loved her and how goddamn lucky he was to have her.

Kagome's response to that was a trembling smile, a loving kiss to his lips, and a whispered plea to _show_ her how much he loved her as she tugged the door shut firmly behind them.


	31. Treat

i got lazy with this one but eh i think it still turned out alright.

 **Spooktober Day 30**

 **Treat**

It was a lazy, quiet Wednesday evening at the Taisho residence, the day before Halloween. The eldest half-demon of the house lay sprawled out on the couch in the living room, taking a break from his work to mindlessly scroll social media on his phone while half-listening to his family scattered about the house. Not far away at all, his youngest sat in front of the TV, watching cartoons while his sister remained upstairs in her room, supposedly working on her homework, but no doubt talking to her friends via cellular device. His wife was in the kitchen, humming a soft tune under her breath as she finished last minute preparations for the party tomorrow and the scent of her homemade cider pleasantly teased his senses.

Closing his eyes and carelessly letting his phone drop to the carpeted floor below, Inuyasha quirked a half-smile and tossed an arm over his eyes as he released a relaxed sigh. He heard Tai give a soft giggle and his ear flicked in response. Next he heard Izayoi's badly muffled laugh which confirmed his suspicions about talking to her friends.

He was thinking that perhaps they'd ought to put down some ground rules about that thing lest her grades start suffering because of it when the sound of soft footsteps approaching grabbed his attention. The scent of sugar and vanilla drifted over to him and his smile boarded, but he didn't bother to remove his arm or sit up.

The footsteps drew closer until they stopped beside him and wordlessly Inuyasha adjusted his position, spreading his legs and opening his arm in silent invitation. Seconds later something soft, warm, and nice smelling wriggled its way onto the couch with him, crawling up his body to rest comfortably against his chest, and with a contented rumble he wrapped his arms his other half and pressed a kiss to a head of dark hair.

Kagome hummed and returned the loving gesture with a soft kiss to his jaw, roughened with dark stubble. Her husband needed to shave, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it.

"Mmm," Inuyasha murmured and moved his mouth down to press against the delicate line of her jaw with a little grin. "Smells like cookies. Good enough to eat."

He punctuated that remark with a soft nip and reveled in his wife's breathy laugh.

"Oh yeah?" she murmured and snaked a hand into his hair to find an ear and stroke the soft flesh.

His response was a low, pleased growl as he buried his face in her neck and Kagome smiled, heart bursting with love for his amazing man, the love of her life and the father of her children.

And speaking of children…

"I think it's about time," Kagome muttered, nuzzling his nose with hers when he lifted his head to lock gazes. "Don't you?"

Instantly Inuyasha's expression softened into one of his rare, genuine smiles, melting Kagome's heart even further. He kissed her lips, her nose, then her forehead as his arms tightened around her.

"I'll go get Iz," he said by way or reply and his wife bestowed upon him a truly brilliant smile before giving him one last kiss and reluctantly removing herself from his embrace.

With a grunt Inuyasha stood up, took a moment to stretch, and then wandered toward the stairs as Kagome ambled over to Tai. In short order he climbed the stairs and padded down the hallway to his daughter's room; his ears picked up the sound of scribbling and low volume music through the cracked door. He peeked inside and spotted his little girl lounging on her bed, texts and notebooks surrounding her as she completed her schoolwork.

Inuyasha quirked a grin and knocked gently on the wooden frame of the doorway despite the fact that she'd probably already scented him. Izayoi glanced up from her homework and smiled at her father, tilting her head in silent inquiry.

"Hey, babygirl," he started and leaned against the doorjamb. "You mind coming downstairs for a bit? Your mom and I have something to tell you."

Izayoi blinked and gave him a wary look, however she did set aside her books as she swung her legs over the bed.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" she asked, eyeing him a bit suspiciously.

Inuyasha snorted. "No. Just c'mon, we're telling your bother too."

He waved her over to him and curious, Izayoi brushed past him, giggling quietly when he tweaked one of her ears before following after her down the hall and then downstairs.

"Mmmm, smells like cookies," Izayoi commented as they entered the living room and from her place on the couch, Tai sitting contentedly in her lap, Kagome laughed quietly.

"I put aside a few of them for us," she said and beckoned her daughter over to join them on the couch. "They're cooling now and should be ready by the time this is over because I think a little celebratory treat would be in order."

"And what is _this_ , exactly?" Izayoi hopped up onto the sofa next to her mother and tucked her legs to the side, leaning back as Inuyasha claimed the recliner across from them.

Stroking back her daughter's hair, Kagome smiled at her, then her son, and finally exchanged a glance with her husband. Inuyasha quirked a grin, nodded, and she beamed. Izayoi looked bemused as she glanced back and forth between her parents and Tai just looked adorably curious.

"Well," she started, gathering her thoughts and trying to find the words. "I'll be honest here. I don't know exactly how to say this despite having said it once before, but…"

Their daughter frowned. "Before? You've told us this once already?"

A secret little smile curved Kagome's lips. "Sort of," she supplied. "I have to you Iz, but not Tai."

Izayoi blinked. "You…did?"

"Mmhm. Just about six years ago, actually."

The young half-demon still looked completely confused and chuckling, Inuyasha took it upon himself to give their daughter a little nudge in the right direction.

"Tai," he said and eyes identical to his own swung his way, blinking owlishly. "How old are you gonna be in a couple months?"

The five-year-old scrunched up his face as he brought up his hands, extending his figures and concentrating hard. Amused, Kagome was just about to help when Tai bent down the correct number of fingers and then thrust them out to his father.

"Six!" he crowed, eyes bright and teeth bared in a proud smile.

Inuyasha grinned back. "That's right, bud. Six years old." He shifted his gaze to his daughter and raised both eyebrows, patiently waiting for her to connect the dots.

Izayoi stared blankly for a moment first at him, then at Tai, and then a second later realization dawned. Her eyes went wide, her mouth dropped, and her back went ramrod straight as she looked frantically between her parents, her shock evident.

"Ohmigawd," she breathed and elicited a soft laugh from Kagome as Inuyasha chuckled again. "Oh my _god_. No way!"

"I don't get it," Tai opined, face screwing up into a pout as she slumped against his mother.

While Izayoi released a high-pitched noise of utter delight, Kagome smiled tenderly down at her baby boy and affectionally rubbed one of his ears.

"About six years ago," Kagome began gently, "Eight months before you were born, your father and I told Izayoi that she was going to be a big sister. Well, baby, now we get to tell _you_ that you're going to be a big _brother_. What do you think of that, Tai?"

Izayoi squealed again and started bouncing in her seat, flapping her hands excitedly with the biggest smile on her face. Tai blinked and then frowned as he processed those words and when he looked down to stare at Kagome's stomach, they knew he understood.

Amber eyes grew wide as his little mouth parted in wonder. He lifted his gaze to stare at his mother's smiling face as Inuyasha got up from the chair and wandered over to kneel beside them.

"You're gonna have a baby, Mama?" he breathed and Izayoi shrieked again. "I'm gonna be a big brother?"

Ridiculously Kagome felt tears prick the back of her eyes and she felt the reassuring warmth of her husband's hand land on her knee.

"That's right, baby," she breathed and kissed his forehead. "In about nine months, you two are going to have a baby brother or sister and it'll be your job to protect him or her, just like Izayoi protects _you_."

If possible, Tai's eyes grew even rounder as he directed his gaze back to his mother's still flat stomach and ever so gently, as if afraid any pressure at all she would shatter, he put his little hand over Kagome's stomach and softly patted.

"Don't worry, little brother or sister," he said solemnly while his parents watched on, amused. "I promise I'll protect you with my life."

"I'm gonna be a big sister!" Izayoi chimed in, now standing on the couch and hopping up and down. " _Again!_ "

Kagome, tear-eyed, looked at her husband and Inuyasha wordlessly hooked the back of her neck with a hand before dragging her forward and claiming her lips in a soft, loving kiss.

"Wait," Tai suddenly pipped up and they broke apart to stare at him quizzically. "Does this mean I have to give up my room? I don't wanna sleep in _Izayoi's_ room. It's too _girly_."

"Hey!" Izayoi protested, scowling down at her little brother. "You little brat!"

Sharing a laugh, Inuyasha and Kagome bent down to press wet kisses to each of his cheeks and they relished in his soft, happy giggle.

Hours later, after the kids had gone to bed and it was just the two adults awake, Kagome sat on their bed waiting for her husband to return from the bathroom, wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts. She pressed her hands against her still felt tummy and marveled at the fact that there was life growing inside her, a life that she couldn't wait to meet and hold and love for the rest of her life.

"My little chibi," she whispered and giggled softly. She heard the bathroom door open down the hall and with a content sigh, Kagome adjusted her position so her knees were bent on either side of her and she planted her hands on the bed before her, waiting. The collar of the shirt, stretched over time, gaped in the front and revealed one delicate shoulder.

That was how Inuyasha found her when he walked into their room, his wife looking utterly enticing as she sat on their bed and graced him with a beguiling smile. He stopped short and with heavy-lidded eyes took her in, racking his eyes down her delectable from and not-so-subtly eyeing the bare skin exposed for his viewing pleasure. He growled his pleasure and watched the way his wife's dark hair tumbled over her shoulder as she tilted her head, silky strands brushing against the pale skin of her breasts.

"Trick or treat, Inuyasha?" Kagome breathed, her smile growing a tad impish as waited for her husband to make a decision.

Amber eyes flashed as another low, hungry growl rent the bedroom. Without a word Inuyasha shed his clothes before stalking forward, joining his beautiful vixen of a wife on the bed, and happily taking the _treat_ his beloved had so graciously offered him.


	32. This Is Halloween

IT IS DONE. FINISHED. FINITO. COMPLETE. AND I AM _SO_ _FUCKING_ _HAPPY_ YOU HAVE _NOOOO_ IDEA.

moving on, i had a lot of fun writing this, and i had no idea so many people would enjoy the idea of writing little blurbs of the modern life of Inukag and their kiddos. also i'm surprised some people ship Izayoi and Raiden as hard as i do anD I'M SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT THEY ARE MY BABIES AND I LOVE THEM I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY

if some of you recognize the first half of this chapter and feel like you've read it before, it's because you probably have. i posted the first half last year on Halloween and titled it "Haunted House" despite having not finished the series. I was originally going to just keep it as is, but then decided it wouldn't be fair and anyway i wanted a proper ended for Izayoi and Rai, so i added onto it. i'm happy with how it turned out, despite it being a tad rushed because i just wanted this damn thing finished already lol.

anyway, thank you all for joining me on this adventure and for leaving all of your comments and reviews! i promise you i read all of your tags and reblogs and it truly does my heart good to know so many people enjoyed reading this story as much as i enjoyed writing it. ^_^

that's enough rambling; ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, i present to you the last chapter of my series…

 **Spooktober Day 31**

 **This Is Halloween**

Kagome had no idea what time it was when she turned over in bed with a grunt, her forehead scrunching into an irritated frown as she shifted into a more comfortable position then settled with a quiet sigh. Beside her Inuyasha sighed in his sleep and rolled up against her, his arm a pleasant warmth as it draped over her waist and he tucked his nose against the nape of her neck before going still once more.

She had no idea what had woken her up in the first place; snugly warm under the covers and cuddled against her husband quite nicely, Kagome should have been able to go back to sleep no problem but for some reason her mind was alert, refusing to give into the slumber creeping in on the edges, taunting her with sweet oblivion. The darkness of the room, Inuyasha's steady breathing and the movement of his chest against her back should have been enough to lull her back to sleep, but for some reason her body would not give into her mind's silent demands. It was as if her mind was subconsciously aware of something that her body was not and as such it would not be coaxed into that state of blessed ignorance.

Her frown deepened and she huffed quietly in annoyance; responding to her distress, even in his sleep, Inuyasha's chest erupted with a soothing rumble and he maneuvered his arm beneath the blanket to reclaim its spot over her side and then press his hand against her bare belly. The familiar gesture sent warmth skittering across her skin and despite herself a fleeing, sleepy smile flickered at Kagome's lips. It was one of his favorite things to do now that she was pregnant again and it didn't surprise her at all that even in sleep he did it.

She went absolutely still, simply absorbing the feel of him against her, concentrating on his warmth, the sound of his even breathing, the pleasant roughness of his leg and chest hair against the smoothness of her skin, hoping to distract herself with the pleasing physical sensations enough to nod off again.

But no such luck; though she could feel the sleepiness pulling at the edges of her mind, it stubbornly refused to give in and Kagome's frown returned, this time with a frustrated pout. Abruptly deciding she might as well see what time it was to gauge how much sleep she'd gotten thus far - and how much more she could sneak in - Kagome wrinkled her nose and cracked her eyes open just enough to peer at the blurry numbers on her alarm clock–

And screamed.

Inuyasha jolted awake with a startled gasp, shooting up in bed and blinking rapidly in order to clear his hazy vision as his mind struggled to come back online after very suddenly getting thrust into awareness.

"Huh–what–Kagome? What's—?" Rubbing his eyes and shaking his head, Inuyasha turned his attention to his wife and found her sitting up in bed, clutching the blanket to her bare chest and staring wide-eyed at–

"Jesus! Fucking hell—!" Flailing in surprise, Inuyasha jerked back against the headboard in an instinctive reaction and slapped a hand against his chest over his rapidly beating heart.

"What the fuck–goddammit, Tai!"

Standing beside their bed, wearing his favorite Spiderman pajamas and the very detailed Halloween mask of the bloody skull of a skeleton that he'd begged his mother to buy for him at the store, their five year old said nothing as he peered at him through the meth openings of the eyes, looking every bit the spooky specter that he wanted to be for his favorite holiday.

Inuyasha and Kagome stared back, their eyes wide, wondering what the hell their son was doing standing at their bedside at five in the goddamn morning.

Tai was silent for another minute, before his slightly muffled voice reached their ears.

"…It's Halloween."

Then, as quietly as he'd apparently snuck into their room, the child slunk back out, leaving his parents in a state of "what the fuck just happened."

A moment passed. Then their teenage daughter's screech of, " _Aaaahh!_ Ohmigod, Tai, you little freak! What are you doing?!" drifted down the hall and into their room. Tai's gleeful cackling followed shortly thereafter and neither parent was surprised to hear Izayoi scramble out of bed and chase her laughing little brother though the house, tossing various threats of dismemberment and other creative jibes older sisters were known to torment their siblings with.

Finally over the initial shock, Kagome heaved a long sigh and slumped against the headboard while Inuyasha groaned and then slunk back under the covers with an annoyed grumble.

"Damn," Kagome murmured and Inuyasha grunted. "Who the hell needs haunted houses and you wake up to that at five in the morning…"

A snort came from beneath the covers. "We can charge," her husband opined, his voice gruff. "Pay for Izzy's college tuition in a single night."

Kagome snorted a laugh and slithered down to join her hanyou hubby under the covers. He slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her chest with a growling sigh and then they felt silent, wrapped in each other's arms and listening to their children taunt and chase each other around the house in the wee hours of the morning.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome murmured a few moments later, drowsy, but unable to fall asleep as she distractedly rubbed her husband's ears.

"Mm," Inuyasha grunted, reveling in his wife's blissful ministrations and struggling to stay awake to hear what she had to say.

"…You _did_ buy all those Halloween decorations…" Her voice held an innocent lilt to it that had Inuyasha instantly grinning and his chest vibrating with a deep, husky chuckle.

"One condition," he rumbled, his grin turning sly.

Kagome bit her lip to stifle her snickers. "And?"

"Tai and that damn mask are gonna be put to good use for waking us up at the ass crack of dawn and so's Iz for saying she's gonna rip off his arm and beat him with it."

"Deal."

 **-X-**

"If you don't stop fidgeting already, I'm gonna poke your eye and I won't be sorry about it."

"It feels _weird_."

"I swear to god you're the only girl I know of that complains about putting on _makeup_."

"Bite me."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who asked _me_ for help, remember? So quit your whining and let me do this so you can impress your _boyfriend_. And stop glaring at me, it's pinching your eyes and it's gonna make me mess up and we'll have to start all over again."

"I hate you right now."

"Love you too, cuz. Now stay _still_ , will you? I'm almost done."

Grumbling but because she'd rather not sit there for another half an hour while her cousin painted up her face to match her costume, Izayoi obliged and forced herself to remain still as Rin carefully added the finishing touches to her left eye. With her silver done and already donned in her costume, the only thing she had left to do was put on the hat after Rin was through and she was pretty anxious to see the complete look.

The party was set to begin in about twenty minutes or so and even from upstairs Izayoi could hear her mother order around her dad as they got everything ready. Her Aunt Sango and Uncle Miroku had arrived earlier to help as well and no doubt they were regretting that offer as Kagome flitted about agonizing over every little detail, stressing that it had to be _perfect_. She was pretty sure her mom had even put Tai to work, but last she knew it was something simple like preparing a cheese and cracker tray or picking up some of his toys to put away.

All in all Izayoi was glad she was pardoned from preparation duty so she could get ready. The instant they'd gotten home from school, she and Rin had bolted up the stairs to her room so they could change and prepare themselves, excited to wow their respective dates. They'd worked on Rin's makeup first, Googling makeup tutorials and having fun experimenting with different shades and such. They settled on a simple design and coupled with the red wig and costume, Rin's Sally looked positively stunning. Izayoi only hoped she'd look half as good as her best friend and cousin.

Then it was her turn, and by the time Izayoi was finishing styling her hair and changing into her costume, Rin had sat her down on the bed and set to work.

Now nearly thirty minutes later, Izayoi was starting to get antsy and a tad impatient. It really _did_ feel weird to have makeup on. She'd never been one to care about her outward appearance and obsess over things other girls her age did. But still, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't excited to see the result of actually putting thought into her appearance this time.

"Aaaand…done," Rin finally announced and stepped back with a satisfied nod. Her smile was very proud and perhaps even a bit arrogant as she studied her handiwork. "Not half bad, if I do say so myself."

With a muffled squeal of excitement Izayoi wasted no time in shooting up and darting over to the full-length mirror on her door. She took one look at her face and gasped, golden eyes going wide in absolute wonder.

"Oh my god, Rin," she breathed as the aforementioned girl came strutting over to stand by her side, grinning widely as she slung an arm around her cousin's shoulders. "This is…this is amazing. You're amazing. I love it!"

"You're welcome," Rin said lightly and was promptly tackled by the enthusiastic half-demon in a hug a gratitude.

" _Thank you!"_ Izayoi gushed and Rin's half-hearted "Hey, watch the makeup!" didn't even faze as she pulled back to admire herself once more in the mirror. "Rin, you are a _goddess_."

"I know," her cousin quipped but with a smile as she crossed the room the grab the last item to complete her look. "And now, the finishing touch."

Beaming, Izayoi met her half-way and allowed her human cousin and best friend to carefully set the brown velvet hat on top of her head. Her ears flicked from the minor constriction against them, but it was tolerable and if it got to be too annoying she could just take it off for a while, so she paid it not mind.

"Perfecto," Rin said just as the door to her room opened.

"How are you doing, girls? Almost done?" Kagome asked as she poked her head inside. Her eyes landed on her daughter and she gasped in utter delight, smiling broadly as she opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. Donned in a simple black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans, Kagome's costume consisted of black cat ears and a tail with simple cat makeup on her face.

"Oh, Izzy, you look _amazing_ ," she praised and the young half-demon beamed proudly. "And Rin, your Sally is spot on! I gotta say, your skills are stellar. The makeup looks like it was professionally done."

Rin glowed at the praise and blushed, but her smile was very pleased. "Thanks, Auntie. It was easy, really. Just followed some YouTube tutorials. No biggie." She shrugged, but it was obvious she really appreciated the compliment.

"Still," Kagome said as she fished her phone from the pocket of her jeans, "well done. Alright, I _have_ a picture of you two so I can show off to everybody at work. Say Happy Halloween, girls!"

With arms tossed over the others' shoulders, the young cousins beamed and chorused, "Happy Halloween!"

Kagome snapped the picture, grinned in satisfaction, then beckoned them both over to her so show it to them and then quickly snap a picture of all three of them.

"Okay, the party's about to start," Kagome said after sending the photo to both her daughter and her husband. "Let's get downstairs and show you two off!"

Giggling excitedly, the girls heeded the older woman's words and scurried out of the bedroom, Kagome at their heels.

There were already a few guests milling about when they got downstairs, mainly people from Inuyasha and Kagome's work, however a few family members had arrived as well. Rin happily waved to her parents from across the room and skipped over to greet them and to show off her own costume. Kagura had chosen a risqué witch costume while Sesshomaru merely had on a white t-shirt that said "This is my costume."

Kagura gushed over the girls and praised her daughter's makeup skills while Sesshomaru eyed his daughter's costume for a bit before grunting in approval, satisfied that nothing inappropriate was showing. He nodded Izayoi's way, approving her costume as well, and Izayoi knew it was just his way of showing his admiration so she merely beamed at him.

More people started arriving at the door and someone took it upon themselves to turn on some appropriately spooky music, but kept it at low volume in deference to the demons' sensitive hearing. Pretty soon the dull roar of laughter and chatter filled the Taisho household as adults and children alike mingled and had a good time. Tai was running around with Sango's and Miroku's kids, wearing that bloody mask paired with the clothes he'd worn to school that morning. Whatever, as long as he was happy, is what Inuyasha had told his wife as she shook her head in exasperation.

Shippou and his parents were there, dressed as The Incredibles, and Kikyou along with her husband Suikotsu had arrived as Gambit and Rogue. Kouga and Ayame had opted for the Marvel route as well and showed up as Wolverine and Jean Grey. Daisuke was skulking about somewhere but he wasn't dressed up, having been forced to accompany his parents.

Izayoi also spotted an Iron Man, the Joker, Penny Wise, various witches and princesses, characters from various horror movies, and even a toilet (?) and Kohaku and finally made an appearance making an excellent Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas. He and Rin looked positively stunning together and many pictures had already been taken of them, however the one person Izayoi had been expecting to arrive with him, she still had seen neither hide nor hair of her crush.

Kohaku had waved off her inquiry about him, saying he just got held up and was probably on his way here right now, but Izayoi still couldn't help but worry as anxiety gnawed at her tummy. Had he changed his mind? Oh god, what if he came to his senses and realized he could do much better than a silly little half-demon with a crush and an overprotective dad—

"Would you chill out?" Rin said, appearing at her side out of nowhere and thrusting a caramel apple in her cousin's hand. "He'll come, I'm sure of it. Kohaku said he just got held up."

Worrying her bottom lip, Izayoi merely nodded and stared down at the dark screen of her phone. She'd refrained some blowing up his phone asking where he was because she didn't want to be _that_ girl, but she'd be lying if she said the thought wasn't tempting. It was almost 6 pm and he still wasn't there…what if something happened to him? Was he okay? Was he hurt? Oh god she needed to go and find him—

A pair of hands suddenly covered her eyes just as a familiar voice murmured behind her, "Guess who."

Izayoi's face split into the biggest smile Rin had ever seen and even through her makeup she could detect the pleased blush that colored the half-demon's cheeks.

"Rai," she whispered and the hands dropped, allowing her to spin around and lock eyes with her crush for the first time all night.

"I'm glad you made it," she said and ignored Rin's loud snort beside her. "I admit, I was…a little worried." Rin snorted again and Izayoi not so subtly elbowed her cousin in the ribs.

Blue-green eyes glinted down at her but before Raiden could say anything Kohaku slung an arm around his neck with a jovial laugh and along with their friends started harassing him as boys often did. Raiden gave as good as he got, laughing with them and poking fun of their costumes while batting away the hands that poked at his own.

Izayoi waited patiently, amused, as Raiden fooled around with his friend and watched as he finally sent them off with high-fives and promises to track them down later. Rin dragged Kohaku off to do god knows what, sending her cousin a wink, and Izayoi blushed, but smiled in gratitude.

"So," Raiden said at length and turned to face her fully, unabashedly looking her up and down to take in her costume. His face lit up in approval and he grinned, boldly reaching up to grab the trailing back of her hat and give it a gentle tug.

"You look…amazing, buttercup," he complimented sincerely, enjoying the soft flush that painted her cheeks. "Did Rin do your makeup?" At her nod, he whistled low. "Nice. See? I _told_ you we'd be the coolest couple here."

He smirked and struck a pose, putting his hands on his hips and tossing his head as he puffed out his chest.

Izayoi laughed at how ridiculous he looked, her previous shyness evaporating under his easygoing air. What was it about him that made her feel so comfortable?

"You don't look so bad yourself," she praised, taking in his matching costume. It was simple, and yet complimented her as well as suited him perfectly. He made some modifications, such as ripping the knees of the trousers and shortening the sleeves of the shirt, but she had to admit, he looked positively dashing. She loved the shoulder piece and hat, and those combat boots? _Oh, be still, my heart!_

"Why thank you, m'lady," he rumbled, smirking as he held out his arm. "Now let's get this show on the road. Shall we, fair maiden?"

Grinning broadly, pleased as punch, Izayoi tucked her arm into his and replied smoothly, "We shall, my good man."

- **X-**

It was just after 10 pm and the party was finally starting to wind down. It was mainly family and close friends that were sticking around, chatting pleasantly and even offering to help clean up, but Kagome dismissed their kindness with a smile and said she'd just do it tomorrow. Tai, tuckered out from all the fun, the copious amount of cookies and other food he'd consumed, and the various games he'd played, lie fast asleep in his father's arms who sat in the recliner, feeling a mite winded himself.

The teenagers had claimed the kitchen as their domain, joking around and laughing together, but at a much calmer level now that the hype of the party had died. They munched absently on leftover cookies and other treats, plastic cups full of soda or cider littering the counter tops.

Leaning against the counter with Raiden at her side, Izayoi couldn't remember having so much fun before. She and Raiden had flirted and teased each other all night long, even holding hands once and she'd managed to sneak in a kiss to his cheek once or twice when her parents weren't looking. She was on cloud-nine, pumped full of sugar, cider, and so much junk food she should be sick, but yet she unable to stop smiling.

 _Best Halloween ever,_ Izayoi thought with a dreamy sigh and then suddenly her hand was encased in warmth and she blinked. Looking down, her eyes widened to find that Raiden had taken her hand in his and her face erupted in color when he laced their fingers together.

He squeezed, and she looked up, a question on her tongue, but he put a finger to his lips and tugged as he jerked her his head, a wordless inquiry to follow him as he gently led her toward the sliding glass doors. Izayoi was utterly helpless and allowed him to drag her away, biting her lip to contain her giggles as they sneaked out into the deck and into the cool night.

From his location in the armchair, Inuyasha's brows snapped low over his eyes as he watched that boy lead his daughter outside _away_ from his eyesight and a low growl rumbled in his throat. Oh _hell_ no.

Tightening his hold on Tai, meaning to carefully lay him on the couch and follow after the two teens, Inuyasha moved to stand up, but a small hand on his shoulder gave him pause and he snapped his gaze to his wife who was looking toward the kitchen with a knowing smile.

He growled. "Kagome—"

"Leave them be, Inuyasha," she murmured and shifted her hand to soothingly rub his ear. "She'll be fine. I've been watching them all night; Raiden is a good boy with a good head on his shoulders, and you know your daughter. She's smart, and we both know she can take care of herself. We need to trust her, okay?"

Inuyasha's ears pinned down against his head and he winced, however he did grudgingly sink back into the chair. It was obvious he was fighting to keep himself from following after them, amber eyes zeroed in on the sliding doors he could see from where he sat, and Kagome smiled in understanding.

Perching herself on the arm of the chair, Kagome racked her fingers through his hair and quietly mused aloud, "Do you remember when we were that age, Yash?"

She purposely used the nickname she'd frequently called him while they were in high school and as she predicted, her husband's gaze darted back to hers in surprise.

"We used to sneak off all the time," she reminded him and watched the emotions flit across his face as he remembered their teenage years. Slowly his expression softened and a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he recalled their youth.

"We were young, and it was exciting," Kagome continued, voice soft with fond recollection. "We broke the rules, caused mischief, didn't care about anything but each other, and we had _fun_ doing it. My high school years were some of the best years of my life, and it was because I had _you_ to share them with me. Would you deny your daughter that same happiness, Yash?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes and sagged in defeat, releasing a drawn-out sigh of resignation. His wife, damn her, was right. As much as he didn't want to admit it, his daughter was a teenager now, and as such she was nearing that stage in her life where she was going to act out and do what she wanted, regardless what he or her mother said. He just hoped to god she wouldn't be as rebellious as he'd been, but like Kagome said, he had to trust her. He knew his babygirl, knew she would stay out of trouble.

Didn't stop him from worrying, though. She was his only daughter, his little girl; of _course_ he was going to worry. But it looked like he'd just have to do it from afar now and let her make her own mistakes so she could learn from them, as hard as that was going to be.

"No," he finally allowed, shaking his head. "No, of course I wouldn't. I just…" He sighed again and stared beseechingly up at his wife, brow knit into a slight frown of consternation. "This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Kagome's smile was equal parts sympathetic and resigned. "Majorly."

Inuyasha groaned.

"Well," his wife piped up and he cracked an eye open. "At least your hair is already silver so you don't have to worry about going gray prematurely."

" _Not_ helping, wench."

 **-X-**

Sitting on the wooden platform of the swing set, hidden from prying eyes with the waxing moon praying witness to their secret interlude. It was a chilly but clear night, but neither teen minded the cold, content to sit in the dark with the moon's silver brilliance shining down on them and enjoy one another's company.

Raiden had yet to release Izayoi's hand and she wasn't complaining at all. He was warm and smelled nice and Izayoi thought that maybe life couldn't get any better right at that moment. She tried not to think about how mad her parents were going to be when they discovered she'd sneaked outside with a boy, and with Raiden there casting her tiny grins and squeezing her hand every so often, it wasn't too hard.

"Sorry for stealing you away like this," Raiden said, breaking the silence with a soft chuckle. "It was sort of a…spur of the moment thing. I hope you won't get in trouble."

Even if she did, it would be _soo_ worth it. "It's okay," she said, smiling as a soft blush tinted her cheeks. "I don't mind. And even if I do…" She shrugged and spoke her thoughts out loud, "It'd be worth it."

Raiden grinned. "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah," she returned and they shared a quiet laugh.

"I did sort of have a reason for bringing you out here," he admitted a mite sheepishly, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck as he averted his gaze.

Izayoi tilted her head and regarded him curiously, a patient half-smile curling her lips upward.

"What's that?" she asked lightly even as her heart pounded in her chest, not daring to hope…

"Uh, er, w-well," he began, coughing into his hand, and Izayoi realized with slight astonishment that he was _flustered_. She'd never seen him be anything other than cool, calm, and confident, and she had to admit, she sort of liked it. It was adorable and he was actually _blushing!_

Fighting back a smile, Izayoi swallowed the giggle that bubbled up and waited for him to regain his bearings, if not a bit impatiently. She didn't want to jump the gun of course, or jump to conclusions, but if he wanted to be alone to ask her something…

Sucking in a bracing breath, Raiden nodded to himself, hardened his resolved, and faced the pretty half-demon that he'd had a crush on for the better part of a year now. He gave her his best charming smile and enjoyed the becoming blush that stole across her cheeks.

Encouraged, he squeezed her hand and began, "Izayoi, I..uh…" He sighed, groaned, and then decided to just go for it.

"Ah, screw it. Izayoi Taisho, I like you," he finally admitted and he could clearly hear the way her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened. "And I, uh, I hope you like me too—"

"I do!" Izayoi blurted before promptly blushing so hard her face rivaled that of a tomato.

And just like that Raiden's confidence was restored, the tension in his shoulders melting away and it was suddenly easier to breath. He grinned at her and squeezed her hand, shifting around and angling his body so he faced her.

"Yeah?" he said and though she refused to look him in the eye, Izayoi jerked her head in a curt nod and he felt like he could, like, lift a freaking house or something.

"Well then," he started and reached over to gently tug on one of her braids to draw her attention. There was a pause, and then Izayoi slowly turned her head, pretty sunshine eyes locking with his blue-green ones.

"What do you say we go out this weekend? Just you and me, like a real date. Please say yes," Raiden beseeched, his smile easy-going and entirely too charming for her little heart to handle.

Like she was going to say _no?_ Heart pounding, face five different shades of red and her belly rioting with millions of butterflies, Izayoi allowed the utter delighted smile to surface on her face as her eyes lit up in absolute pleasure.

"Yes," she whispered and had to laugh when Raiden made a fist and jerked his arm back with a hissed, _"Score!"_

Utterly elated, Izayoi resisted the urge to bounce up and down in exhalation as she confessed, "God, you have no _idea_ how long I've wanted—"

Fleeing warmth and softness brushing against her lips so fast she thought she imagined it had Izayoi's thoughts coming to a screeching halt. She gasped, hand flying up to flutter her fingertips across her lips and her eyes were very wide as Raiden pulled back to reveal a face that was nearly as red as hers.

"Sorry," he muttered, wincing a little as he dropped his gaze. "I just…you just looked really cute, and I've kinda wanted to do that for a while, and well—"

Something warm and soft pressed against his cheek, close to his mouth, and Raiden sucked in a sharp breath as his heart stuttered in his chest. He swung wide eyes his crush's way and watched as she bit her lip but didn't avert her gaze, giving a shy but genuine smile that made him want to hug her and protect her at all costs.

While definitely not as brave as he'd been to kiss him on the lips, Izayoi couldn't help but to return the affectionate gesture, both as a reassurance and because…well…he'd just looked too darn cute all flustered and blushing. She was still reeling from having gotten her very first kiss and her heart was pounding a mile a minute, but she could honestly say she didn't regret it one single bit.

The two teenagers simply stared at one another for a silent minute, blinking and absorbing what had just happened. And then simultaneously they erupted into a quiet laughter, snickers and giggles echoing into the night. Feeling bold, Izayoi scooted closer to him and pressed her side against his; Raiden retaliated by removing his hand from hers and instead slinging his arm around her shoulders to tug her even closer.

"You wanna go inside?" he asked, frowning slightly as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. Her skin was cold and he felt stupid for bringing her out here when it was so chilly out.

"Mmm…" Biting her lip, Izayoi glanced over her shoulder toward the deck and the sliding doors that led into the kitchen. She was somehow not at all surprised to find their friends pressed up against the glass, grinning from ear to ear as they spied on them. Rin, the brat, wasn't even ashamed to be caught, waving at them from under Kohaku's arm and Izayoi stuck her tongue out at her, though she smiled right after.

"On second thought," Raiden drawled and a quick glance revealed he too was staring at their annoying friends, "maybe we could stay out here a little longer."

"Sounds good to me," she agreed, dismissing their friends and turning away just in time to miss the sight of her mother shooing away the teenagers crowded against the doors, shooting them a secret smile before walking away and dragging her protesting husband with her.

"Happy Halloween, buttercup," Raiden murmured and dropped a kiss to her head, right between her adorable ears.

Sighing in utter contentment, warm despite the chill in the air and the happiest she could ever remember being, Izayoi smiled and dropped her head to rest on his shoulder, oblivious to everything but him.

"Happy Halloween, Raiden."


End file.
